Three hundred and ten megawatts of renewable energy, accessible and affordable. That is what the 365 wind turbines of Turkana Wind Power have been able to produce since last September, when they came into operation and were connected to Kenya's electricity grid. Over the last eight months, the wind farm has made it possible to reduce spending by almost 70 million euros on electricity production from fossil fuels. During the same period, the plant fed more than 1.2 billion kilowatt-hours (KWh) of electricity into the grid.

Kenya aims for 100% renewables

A record that places Kenya as a leader in the development of renewables in Africa. The African country's goal is to reach 100 per cent of energy production from renewable sources by 2020. Today, according to national data, 70 per cent of energy comes from low-CO2-emission sources. In recent years Kenya has invested in particular in geothermal energy, which now has an installed capacity of 700 MW. Another record that places the country in ninth position in the global ranking for installed capacity. Behind Italy (800 MW) and Iceland (750 MW).

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This is the largest wind power plant in Africa weforum.org/agenda/2019/07… via @wef

A project aimed at reducing electricity costs and dependence on fossil fuels
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Energy access is also growing

Despite these premises, just over half of Kenya's population has access to electricity (data World Bank), while over 70 per cent produces energy from biomass, particularly for cooking. It remains the case, however, that according to the World Bank the African country is among those with the highest growth rate on the entire continent, rising from 19 per cent in 2010 to 56 per cent in 2016.

It is indeed rural areas that record the lowest availability of electricity (5 per cent). But in recent years technology has made it possible to reach even the most remote areas, thanks to small companies that supply energy through small photovoltaic kits. One such example is M-Kopa, which provides customers with a kit consisting of an 8-watt solar panel, 2 LED lamps with a switch and dimmer, a portable solar lamp, a USB battery charger for 5 devices, and a solar-powered radio. All of this with an initial deposit of around 20 euros and a subscription of 30 cents per day. The kit pays for itself within a year. Proof that renewables remain the most flexible and accessible solution for bringing energy everywhere.

Problems with the local population

The project that led to the construction of Africa's largest wind farm has not been without criticism. Installations of this size can indeed generate conflict in the regions where they are built. This area, historically tied to indigenous pastoral communities, saw the land on which they had previously carried out their main subsistence activity granted away. As The Conversation explains: "Local communities experienced various forms of exclusion during the construction of the wind farm. For example, the project decided not to recognise the Rendille, Samburu and Turkana living within the concession as "indigenous". This was at odds with international definitions of indigenous peoples. In this way, the company was able to "avoid implementing a process of prior and informed consent, which would have helped to safeguard the economic, social and cultural rights of the communities affected during the development of the project".