Introduction:

Our modern technological society is largely defined by our widespread use of

electrical energy. Electricity provides us with light, heat, refrigeration, communication,
elevators, and entertainment. We are so dependent on electricity that when it is unavailable
for even a few minutes, the word “crisis” comes to mind. Electrical energy is popular because
it is so easily transmitted from one place to another, and converted into other forms of energy.
The concepts and principles of electricity are beautiful and intricate, but this is hardly the
place to present them in complete detail.
Energy is vital for all living-beings on earth. Modern life-style has further increased
its importance, since a faster life means faster transport, faster communication, and faster
manufacturing processes. All these lead to an increase in energy required for all those modern
systems. Arising out of comparison of status of nations, the progress is related in terms of per
capita consumption of electrical energy (i.e. kWH consumed per person per year). At present,
this parameter for Kenya is about 170, for UK it is 20 to 30 times more, and for USA, it is
about 60 times more.
It simply means that Electrical energy is the most popular form of energy, whether we
require it in the usable thermal form (= heating applications), in mechanical form (= electrical
motor applications in Industries), for lighting purposes (= illumination systems), or for
transportation systems.
Following are the main reasons for its popularity.
1. Cleaner environments for user
2. Higher efficiency
3. Better controllability
4. Easier bulk-power, long-distance transportation of power using overhead transmission or
underground cables
5. Most versatile devices of energy conversions from Electrical to other forms are available
for different purposes, such as thermal, illumination, mechanical, sound, chemical, etc.

Forms of energy,
Types of energy can be categorised into two broad categories – kinetic energy (the
energy of moving objects) and potential energy (energy that is stored). These are the two
basic forms of energy.
The different types of energy include thermal energy, radiant energy, chemical energy,
nuclear energy, electrical energy, motion energy, sound energy, elastic energy and
gravitational energy.
Heat or thermal energy
Thermal energy (also called heat energy) is produced when a rise in
temperature causes atoms and molecules to move faster and collide with each other. The
energy that comes from the temperature of the heated substance is called thermal energy.
The molecules and atoms that make up matter are moving all the time. When a
substance heats up, the rise in temperature makes these particles move faster and bump into
each other. Thermal energy is the energy that comes from the heated-up substance. The hotter
the substance, the more its particles move, and the higher its thermal energy.
Chemical energy
 Chemical energy is energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds, like atoms
and molecules. This energy is released when a chemical reaction takes place. Usually, once
chemical energy has been released from a substance, that substance is transformed into a
completely new substance.

Chemical energy is the most widely used type of energy in the world, as it is crucial to
the existence of humans and the natural world. The food we eat contains stored chemical
energy. As the bonds between the atoms in food loosen or break, a chemical reaction takes
place, and new compounds are created. The energy produced from this reaction keeps us
warm, helps us move, and allows us to grow. Different foods store different amounts of
energy. When wood burns, the chemical energy stored in it is released as heat.

Dry wood and petroleum contain stored chemical energy. When you burn them in a
fireplace, chemical energy is released and converted into thermal energy (heat) and light
energy. Following the chemical reaction, they are turned into a new substance – ash and
carbon dioxide.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy comes from the nucleus of atoms. The energy is released by nuclear
fusion (nuclei are fused together) or nuclear fission (nuclei are split apart). Nuclear
plants use nuclear fission of a radioactive element called uranium to generate electricity.

Atoms are extremely small. Usual sizes are around 100 picometers. Atoms – the
particles that make up every object in the universe – consist of neutrons, protons
and electrons. They contain a nucleus, which is where nuclear energy comes from.

Nuclear energy is released from an atom through either:

 Nuclear fusion, when nuclei of atoms are combined or fused together. This is how the
Sun produces energy.
 Nuclear fission, when nuclei of atoms are split apart. This is the method used by
nuclear plants to generate electricity.

Radiant energy

Radiant energy is a form of electromagnetic energy. It can take the form of visible
waves – which is what we call light energy – or invisible waves such as radio waves or x-
rays. Radiant energy is the energy of electromagnetic waves. These waves can travel
through space. Electromagnetic radiation is made up of tiny particles called photons – think
of them as little packets of energy. Light energy is a form of radiant energy that is visible to
the human eye.

Motion energy
 Motion energy – also known as mechanical energy – is the energy stored in moving
objects. As the object moves faster, more energy is stored. Motion energy is the sum of
potential and kinetic energy in an object that is used to do work.

Sound energy

Sound is the movement of energy through a substance – like air or water – and is
caused by vibrations. Solids, liquids and gases transmit sound as waves. Sound energy
travels in the form of waves. Unlike light energy, sound cannot travel through a vacuum,
because there are no atoms to transmit the vibration. Sound can be transmitted by solids,
liquids and gases, as these all have atoms to pass on the vibrations.
Elastic energy
Elastic energy is energy stored in an object when there is a temporary strain on it –
like in a coiled spring or a stretched elastic band. The energy is stored in the bonds between
atoms. The bonds absorb energy as they are put under stress and release the energy as
they relax (when the object returns to its original shape). Elastic energy is a form of potential
energy, because it is stored in the bonds between atoms in an object or substance when it is
temporarily under stress. This stress could be due to the object being stretched or squashed. A
force acting on an object can cause it to temporarily change its shape, such as when you
stretch an elastic band, or squash a squishy ball with your hand. When this happens, elastic
energy can be stored in the object, ready to be released when the object goes back to its
original shape – when you let the elastic band go, or loosen your grip on the squishy ball. A
temporary strain on an object stores elastic energy in the object. Elastic energy is stored in the
bonds between the atoms in an object or substance. These bonds absorb energy as they are
stressed, and release that energy as they relax.
Gravitational energy
Gravitational energy is energy associated with gravity. It is the potential energy stored by an
object because of its higher position compared to a lower position. (e.g. if it's further away or
closer to the ground). Gravitational energy is energy associated with gravity.
Gravity is a force which tries to pull two objects toward each other. Earth's gravity is what
keeps you on the ground and what causes objects to fall. The Earth has gravity. Gravity holds
everything close to this planet. Trees, water, animals, buildings, and the air we breathe are all
held here by gravity. The planets, their moons, and the stars in the universe have gravity.
Even our own bodies have gravity. The Earth's gravity is far stronger than our own so we
don't notice the gravity our bodies have.
The Earth's tides are caused by the moon's gravitational pull on the oceans. Tides are the rise
and fall of the ocean level as related to the shoreline.
Systems can increase gravitational energy as mass moves away from the centre of the Earth
or other objects that are large enough to produce significant amounts of gravity (like our Sun,
the planets and stars).
Electrical energy
Electrical energy is caused by moving electric charges called electrons. The faster the charges
move, the more electrical energy they carry. As the charges that cause the energy are moving,
electrical energy is a form of kinetic energy.
Lightning, batteries and even electric eels are examples of electrical energy in action!

Kenyan energy scenario.

1. Energy situation in Kenya
Kenya's energy sector is largely dominated by petroleum and electricity, with firewood
providing basic energy needs for rural communities, the urban poor and the informal sector.
Analysis of the national energy sector shows a high dependence on wood fuels and other
biomass, which account for 68% of total energy consumption, 22% for petrolleum, 9% for
electricity, others for 1%.

Energy sources

9%1%

22%

68%

биомасса нефть Электричество другие

Рис
3: Потребление энергии.
Electrical energy situation
Kenya has an installed capacity of 2,651 MW, with peak demand of 1,912 MW, as of
November 2019. Hydroelectric power accounts for 32%, geothermal - 43%, diesel and gas -
10%, wind energy - 10%, and the rest - solar photovoltaic and diesel power plants.
 Источники электроэнергии
Others
Wind 5%
10% Hydro
Diesel and Gas 32%
10%

Geothermal
43%

Hydro Geothermal Diesel and Gas Wind Others

Fig. 4: Sources of electricity.

Fig. 5: Generation stations and transmission lines

Hydroelectric energy
Hydropower was one of the earliest recognized national resources dating back to the early
1920s. Early systems were all small hydroelectric circuits containing micro hydroelectric
power plants and mini hydropower plants.
The large-scale development of the hydropower scheme began seriously with the
commissioning of the Kindaruma hydroelectric power plant in 1968 followed successively by
Kamburu in 1973, Guitar in 1978, then Kiambere ten years later in 1988 and Turkwel in
1990, the last of which was Sondu Miriu in Nyanza Province, which was commissioned in
2013.
The total effective capacity of the hydroelectric power plant is 758.66 mW

Solar energy
Kenya has high insolation rates with an average of 5-7 hours of peak sunlight (equivalent to
the number of hours per day when solar radiation averages 1,000 W/m2), and receives an
average daily insolation of 4-6 kWh/m2. Only 10-18% of this energy can be converted into
electricity due to the conversion efficiency of photovoltaic modules.
Kenya has one of the most active commercial PV system markets in developing countries,
with an installed capacity of PV of 55 MW. An estimated 200,000 rural households in Kenya
have solar home systems and annual PV sales in Kenya between 25,000-30,000 photovoltaic
modules.

Figure 6: Global horizontal solar radiation in Kenya.

Wind energy
It is assumed that in the equatorial region have low average wind resources. This could be the
big picture of Kenya. However, some features of the terrain (canal and hill effects due to the
presence of the Rift Valley and various mountainous and high-altitude areas) have endowed
Kenya with some distinct wind regime areas. The northwest of the country (Marsabit and
Turkana districts) and the edges of the Rift Valley are two large areas (with the strongest
winds, wind speeds are on average above 9 m/s at 50 m high). There are also interesting
places on the coast, although the wind resource is expected to be lower (about 5-7 m/ s 50 m
high). Many other local mountainous places offer good wind conditions. Due to monsoon
impact, some seasonal fluctuations in wind resources are expected (low winds between May
and August in Southern Kenya).

Fig 7: Map of wind speed 100 m in height

About 25% of the country is compatible with modern wind technology. The main problem is
the limited knowledge of Kenyan resource winds. Weather station data is very unreliable, and
modern measurement campaigns have recently begun to study the locations of wind farms.
Thus, there are only 35 metrology stations in Kenya, so the information collected is
insufficient to provide detailed solutions due to the station's rare network. Kenya has recently
experienced an increase in wind power plants to generate electricity. The largest wind farm
(310 MW) in Africa was recently held in the Turkana region of northwestern Kenya. The
Ngong Hills area near Nairobi also has 11 MW, and several MW are planned by private
investors.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is very cost-effective in Kenya's Great Rift Valley, in East Africa. Kenya
became the first African country to build geothermal energy sources. The Kenyan Electricity
Company, which is 74% state-owned, has built three plants to use Olkaria's geothermal
resource: Olkaria I (215 MW), Olkaria II (105 MW), Olkaria III (140 MW), Olkaria IV (139
MW) and Central Olkaria (4.3).
The total capacity of geothermal plants at the moment is 604 MW.

Figure 8: Geothermal map in Kenya

Geothermal resources estimated the potential between 7,000 MW and 10,000 MW of
spreading more than 14 promising sites. Geothermal has a number of advantages over other
energy sources: it is independent of drought and climate variability; has the highest
availability (power factor) at more than 95%; green energy without any adverse effects on the
environment; and indigenous and readily available in Kenya, unlike most thermal energy,
which relies on imported fuel. This makes geothermal a very suitable source for generating
baseload electricity in the country.
Biomass
Due to limited access to unconventional forms of energy in rural areas, there has been a
significant shift in non-commercial traditional biomass fuels. The proportion of households
consuming biomass increased to 83% from 73% in 1980 In 2007, Kenya's energy biomass,
i.e. firewood, charcoal and agricultural waste, contributed to about 70% of Kenya's final
energy consumption and provided almost 90% of rural energy needs of the household, about
one third in the form of charcoal and the rest in firewood.
Charcoal, firewood, paraffin and LPG are still the main sources of fuel for cooking. At the
national level, 68.8% of households use firewood as their main cooking fuel. Almost 90% of
the rural population depends on firewood for cooking and heating, while in urban areas
approximately 10% of the population uses firewood. Firewood is increasingly coming from
private land-poor land and agricultural forest land. Charcoal and gas, on the other hand, are
mainly urban fuels, with 82% of urban house holds dependent on it as part of their blend
energy, compared to 34% of households using charcoal in rural areas. It is estimated that
Kenyans currently consume 2.4 million tonnes of coal per year. Wood coal is produced using
the irrational tradition of earth kilns, the efficiency of which ranges between 10-13% even
higher rises in the range of 30-40% were achieved using kilns for firing bricks. Biomass
comes from various forest formations such as closed forests, woodlands, bushlands,wooded
pastures, farms with natural vegetation and a mixture of native and exotic trees, industrial and
fuel tree plantations, as well as crop residues and the woodworking industry. However,
although apparently large volumes of wood available from different types of vegetation, not
all of this is available for energy. Convenient access depends on a number of factors, such as
legal issues, environmental protection, property, management objectives, distance and
infrastructure. In addition, most of the population is engaged in the production,
transformation, transportation and sale of wood and charcoal, making it one of the most
important sources of paid livelihood. As a result, woody biomass is reduced due to poor
management and use in unsustainable relationships. Government ministries support
sustainable energy crop production, coal trade and the distribution of improved cooking
stoves in one area or another.
Alover, traditional biomass dominates the energy landscape, little or no budget is provided
for research, development and distribution for heat- and drought-tolerant crops, biofuels and
modern biomass energy use. While some progress has been made in the distribution of
efficient wood and wood-charcoal furnaces, more diversity and resilience of the energy
system has yet to be done.
Biogas
Although there are several thousand bio-autoclaves installed in Kenya, most of them are
operating at full capacity or currently due to lack of management, technical, socio-cultural or
economic problems.
Biogas is widely used in institutions, due to their high potential for waste disposal for biogas
production. several pilot programmes have been established.
Fossil fuel
Oil is Kenya's main source of commercial energy and, over the years, accounted for about
80% of the country's commercial energy needs. In 2006, 4.4 million cubic meters of
petroleum products were sold in Kenya. Of this, 420,000 m3was kerosene and 68,000 m3
was LPG.Total fuel consumption in Kenya rose from 2.6 million cubic meters in 2003 to
3.73 million cubic meters in 2006, consumption supports the upward trend. In 2009, demand
for petroleum products was 3,656 thousand tons. In 2007, Kenya had one refinery, the
Mombasa refinery, with a nominal capacity of 90,000 barrels per day. Since its commission,
the plant has not been operating at full capacity.
In 2007, there were 4 promising oil basins in Kenya, about 30 exploration wells were drilled,
and although none faced a commercial discovery, a number of drilling stem tests recovered or
gas tests recovered. In 2012, significant oil reserves were discovered in northwestern Kenya.
Studies continue to be conducted with a view to establishing economic feasibility.
Liquefied gas.
Liquefied gas consumption increased by approximately 59% between 2013 and 2018 from
40,000 to 80,000 metric tons/year. Kenya's refining facilities account for about 30,000 metric
tons of liquefied natural gas and to balance the growing dependence of demand on imported
LPG has increased. However, are there any plans to upgrade the refinery to make 115,000
metric tons of liquefied gas?
Coal
The Ministry of Energy has identified two areas with possible commercially mined volumes
of coal. These include Mui Kitui Basin and Mwingi Districts and Tara Kwale Basin and Kilifi
Districts. As of 2017, 10 wells have been drilled in the Muya Basin with encouraging results
indicating the possible existence of commercial quantities of coal.
A 1,050 MW power plant per corner was proposed in Lamu, on Kenya's northern coast along
the Indian Ocean, as part of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport
Corridor(LAPSSET)project linking the three countries.