Taping the elements for development

Renewable energy has emerged as the panacea of our future existence on the planet earth. With the horrors that humanity has committed against the environment in the race to outdo each other in development, there has been a widespread increase in emissions that continue to choke our environment. The heavy polluters of the world China and US are now being increasingly joined by the nearly developed BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) which are experiencing phenomenal growth that is increasing their energy appetite. It is foreseeable that  the rest of developing world including Africa will join in this craving.

Fukushima and Chernobyl have taught us that though nuclear is considerably environmentally friendly, things can go wrong and it can be the deadliest source. The recent move by the German chancellor Angela Merkel to map out a shut down plan for the country's Nuclear power plants are a pointer to a reduced global dependence on Nuclear.

Turning to the might of nature is the one way that such huge producers of energy as nuclear can be effectively replaced.

It is with the havoc that non-renewable sources wreak on our common resource in mind that Nations in Rio 92' agreed on agenda 21( http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/) to promote sustainable development practices by emphasising on renewable energy ventures as a way to conserve our planet for future generations.

Renewable energy has been touted as being too costly a venture thus the continued expansion of fossil fuel based sources. However, in recent years there has been a renewed vigour to develop renewable energy sources and especially so in the area of Wind and Solar power. A key determinant in viability of solar and wind power projects has been the size of the Project. The bigger the size of the project the more viable the project.

Size has been a big determinant in the success of the Roscoe Wind farm in the USA (781.5MW) and the Thannet offshore wind Plant in the UK(300MW). Another interesting development has been in the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) sector with the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) in California (354MW) and the  Spanish Andasol solar power project (150MW).

Closer home, there are plans to tap the potential of the Sahara desert  at its most fierce points in Libya, Algeria and Saudi Arabia to create a super plant that will cater for the energy requirements of the European continent and also assist in an ambitious attempt to re-green the Sahara. The DESERTEC Foundation (http://www.desertec.org/) is at the forefront of this venture to harness the energy that mother nature pours out on the world's deserts. It is claimed that the sum amount of energy the deserts of our world receive in 6hrs is enough to supply Global demand for 1year (Dr Gerhard Knies). The desertec project will create a super-grid that will supply energy in the Terrawatts to much of Europe effectively replacing the non-renewable sources currently in use in the European economies.

Much closer is the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWPP) that aims at infusing 300MW of green wind energy to Kenya's National grid. Recent Forays into Geothermal energy in the Rift valley also underpin the significance of Green energy to the future of this developing economy. It is essential that as we develop we embrace renewable energy and exploit the potential that Kenya has in areas such as solar energy to cushion the country from power rationing in times of drought when the Sun is bearing down on us. Also, development of a much broader working group with the countries in East and Central Africa is of utmost importance going forward.

A unified grid would allow for projects such as the proposed 39TW Grand Inga Dam on the River Congo, DRC to supply all the energy requirements of Africa and parts of Europe on HVDC lines. Hydro power being amongst the cheapest sources would lead to dramatic reduction of energy costs in the region and spur greater economic development.

These will however need a multi-sectoral approach that would see environmental conservation being at the forefront so as to ensure catchment areas such as that of the Congo river and the windy lands of Turkana are maintained and peaceful coexistence of neighbouring countries/communities is ensured. Collaboration and outsourcing is the key driver of economies today and will also forge the way for the future of the developing world.

Our combined future is green and renewable energy will be the way out of environment-driven self destruction of our world.

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