The African Development Bank has approved $150 million in funding for the Turkana wind farm in Kenya, which will be Africa’s largest, generating 300 megawatts of electricity and powering nearly 1 million homes.
CCTV reports on the Turkana wind farm
Kenya is among the more virtuous countries in the world environmentally, emitting only .03 percent of the world carbon dioxide poisoning. It generated 7.3 billion kilowatthours (KWh) of electricity in 2010, of which 5.2 billion KWh came from renewable sources (hydro, geothermal, biomass, and wind) and 2.2 billion KWh from imported oil. 20% of its electricity comes from geothermal. But, only 16% of its 41 million people have access to electricity. Since Kenya has no hydrocarbons, its choice is either to pay a big import bill to expand electricity provision, or to go green. Turkana is a welcome sign that its leaders as far as possible want to adopt responsible energy policies.
Kenya is also expanding its geothermal power generation, aiming at a further 2 gigawatts from the Olduvai Gorge.
Ironically, the cradle of humankind is forging the best path toward the survival of humankind.
Why through banks? You people will never learn do you?
I was just reading on the Guardian that over its life time a wind turbine will produce 20 to 25 times the electricity required to produce it. I also read that the life span of a wind turbine is 20 to 25 years. Then I read somewhere else that a refurbished wind turbine will have a life span of around another 15 years. Well to make it simple if we divide 25 by 25 we get one. That extra 15 can be either good or bad depending on the earlier factors. So if each year a wind turbine can deliver the same amount of power that was used to create it I can imagine tha wind power is much cleaner than fossil fuels and if the energy used to produce the wind the power came from 100% renewable sources
it would be totally clean energy. But what I can also easily imagine is that wind power is not very concentrated
energy. So while it is certainly a neccessary step in creating a sustainable planet, barring the development of nuclear fussion technology, it is not sufficient in recreating industrialized society as we know it today in North America and Europe.
But I can imagine if the Kenyans think very carefully about their development, and avoid the mistakes of the 20th century, that wind energy could provide them with all the energy that they needed for what they deem to be really important. Hopefully the Kenyans will not deem a 20 mile commute to work on clogged freeways and air conditioning on a 32C(90F)degree day as really neccessary.