Green Energy
South Africa’s first commercial wind farm, the Darling wind farm, began generating in May 2008 with four turbines, each producing 1.3 MW
- Africa’s Largest Wind Project Still Steaming On
A wind power farm: LWTP steamingonTHE LAKE TURKANA Wind power project, Africa’s largest wind power farm is on course. However, it is running behind schedule because guarantee from the World Bank are yet to be granted, investigations by this publication...
- Kenya Turns To Geothermal And Wind Power In A Big Way
A Geothermal Plant KENYA IS FAST WEANING itself of dependence from hydro-generated electricity to other sources of renewable sources of energy such as wind and geothermal. The shift, which has been in the making for a long time has picked up pace...
- Kenyan Wind Farm, Africa’s Largest, To Produce Lowest Cost Electricity
Famous in anthropological circles as the site of some of the earliest hominid remains, northern Kenya’s Lake Turkana is set to be the site of Africa’s largest wind farm. Project plans call for a total of 365 wind turbines to be built there, generating...
- Hydrogen South Africa (hysa)
AfriWea are pleased to announce that the Honourable Deputy Minister of the South African Department of Science and Technology Mr. Derek Hanekom, will be the Guest of Honour at the Gala Dinner Tuesday evening 10 May 2011. DST has a proud record of funding...
- Wind Power
What is Wind? Wind is the movement or flow of gaseous elements around earth surface. One of the most important characteristics of wind is its velocity. Another characteristic of wind is energy. It is affected by high and low pressure of air...
Green Energy
South Africa’s first commercial wind farm
South Africa’s first commercial wind farm, the Darling wind farm, began generating in May 2008 with four turbines, each producing 1.3 MW
By Colin Houghton
A study by Frost & Sullivan: ”Mega Trends in Africa: A bright vision for the growing continent” was released at an African growth, innovation and leadership conference in Cape Town last month (August). According to this Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic, chronic power problems impede growth and productivity in more than 30 African countries. Inadequate generation capacity, limited electrification, low demand for power, unreliable service, and skyrocketing prices cause serious problems in the sector. Countries would have to spend $40-billion annually over 10 years and take decisive steps to improve the efficiency of power utilities in order to remove these challenges.
But these very challenges present massive potential for renewable energy development, primarily driven by the need to provide electrification to remote communities. The analysis notes that over the next ten years, renewable energy initiatives will be dominated by wind powerprojects, such as the Ashegoda wind farm in Ethiopia and Tanzania’s Singida wind farm.
A wind farm in the Ngong hills on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya
It is ironic that Africa is endowed with both fossil and renewable energy resources that could more than adequately cover its energy needs, yet remains the most poorly electrified continent in the world. The report said “The proportion of people without electricity in Africa is higher than anywhere else on the planet, with as little as 5% of the population having direct access to electricity in some countries.”
Things are already happening. In West Africa a wind farm that will supply a quarter of the electricity needs of the Cape Verde islands started operations this August.
The 25.5MW Cabeolica wind farm will provide power to four islands in the archipelago, which is 570km off the coast of West Africa. The islands have a population of around 500,000 with just under 400,000 tourists visiting annually.
The Cape Verde project
The islands have world-class wind resources of 10m/s, as they lie in the Trade Winds belt, although that also means they can be subject to hurricanes. More than one fifth of the population of the former Portuguese colony is desperately poor, living on less than a pound a day. The development of wind projects will reduce reliance on expensive imported diesel and fuel oil.
Location of Cape Verde islands
- Africa’s Largest Wind Project Still Steaming On
A wind power farm: LWTP steamingonTHE LAKE TURKANA Wind power project, Africa’s largest wind power farm is on course. However, it is running behind schedule because guarantee from the World Bank are yet to be granted, investigations by this publication...
- Kenya Turns To Geothermal And Wind Power In A Big Way
A Geothermal Plant KENYA IS FAST WEANING itself of dependence from hydro-generated electricity to other sources of renewable sources of energy such as wind and geothermal. The shift, which has been in the making for a long time has picked up pace...
- Kenyan Wind Farm, Africa’s Largest, To Produce Lowest Cost Electricity
Famous in anthropological circles as the site of some of the earliest hominid remains, northern Kenya’s Lake Turkana is set to be the site of Africa’s largest wind farm. Project plans call for a total of 365 wind turbines to be built there, generating...
- Hydrogen South Africa (hysa)
AfriWea are pleased to announce that the Honourable Deputy Minister of the South African Department of Science and Technology Mr. Derek Hanekom, will be the Guest of Honour at the Gala Dinner Tuesday evening 10 May 2011. DST has a proud record of funding...
- Wind Power
What is Wind? Wind is the movement or flow of gaseous elements around earth surface. One of the most important characteristics of wind is its velocity. Another characteristic of wind is energy. It is affected by high and low pressure of air...