Energy crisis is a serious subject that has always been discussed in many developing countries. The rise in global oil prices, energy security concerns, and the need of addressing climate changes have contributed into making the issue of energy a centre for public policy. Most developing countries ignore the issue of the energy crisis that leads into many people leaving in poverty due to poor access into modern energy services. Developed countries have adopted renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, that have less effect on global warming. Energy poverty is the lack of adequate energy for normal operations of lighting, cooking, and warmth. Fossil fuels are the principal sources of most electricity in the world today. The large amount of toxic substances produced by fossil fuels in the atmosphere has a lot of effect on the health of living things. Using alternative sources of energy, like renewable energy, is essential since it reduces the amount of carbon emission into the atmosphere (Gevorkian, 2010).
Overview of Energy crisis in Kenya
Kenya experiences a lot of the energy crisis. The effect is too deep that the country has introduced rationing measures in all sectors. Lack of adequate rainfall results into less energy because the country depends most on hydroelectric power as the main source of energy. The issue has serious effects on the country’s economy. In addition, it paralyses normal business operations, affects learning, and inconveniences in health centers (Kiva, 2009). Recently, the government increased the cost of oil by more than 30 percent. There was acute oil shortage in the country leading to a lot of population in filling stations as seen on figure 1. The images from figure 1 show a lot of desperation among travelers and business people.
Solutions
The Kenyan government has tried all means possible to end the issue of the energy crisis, but remarkably little impact found. The country imports oil from other countries that require a lot of investments for them to have reliable energy for all sectors. Taking an option of renewable energy would save the country a lot of stresses related to energy. Industries and families that have adopted renewable energy have benefited a lot since they are not affected by power rationing. The main types of renewable energy in Kenya are: wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and biomass. Solar energy is the most preferred source because its cost is less and can be utilized in every part of the country. Technology is put in place where people use solar for lighting, heating, preservation, and drying of agricultural materials. The government aims at developing green energy envelop through establishing green energy. In addition, funds have been sought that would help achieve these goals, and experts contracted to monitor the green energy implementations (Republic of Kenya, 2011).
Conclusion
Implementation of renewable sources of energy in Kenya has seen an improvement in energy crisis. On the other hand, energy crisis has a great effect on health in the country. Most hospitals depend on electricity for their daily operations. Power failure may result into losses of many lives especially where the hospital has no alternative source of energy. In resolving this issue, most hospitals are equipped with solar panels that collect solar energy for use as electricity in different operations. In addition, the Kenyan government aims at tracking development of generation plants and increase power reserve margin by more than 30%. This focuses mainly on renewable energy (Republic of Kenya, 2011).
References
Gevorkian, p., (2010). Alternative Energy Systems in Building Design. The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc.
Kiva, I. N. (2009). GOK Responds to the Energy Crisis. Kenya: Ministry of Energy. Retrieved
http://www.ke.boell.org/downloads/kiva_-_gok_responses_to_energy_crisis.pdf
Republic of Kenya. (2011). Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (SREP). Retrieved from:
http://www.energy.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Updated%20%20SREP%20Draft%20Investment%20Plan-May%202011.pdf
