On Friday, March 25, the government through Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) revealed that electricity prices will, as of April 1, 2023, increase by up to 63 per cent.
Prior to the 63 per cent increment, token prices had been on a steady increase from 2002.
Despite the rising electricity prices for the last decade, Kenyans are still hesitant to transition to biogas production which promises a cheaper alternative of fuel.
Statista (2022) estimates that only 90,000 Kenyans use Biogas against a population of 53 million.
Biogas which is a biofuel derived from the natural process of anaerobic decomposition of food wastes, animal manure, wastewater, and crop residue is considered eco-friendly and one of the best sources of renewable clean energy.
Kenyans.co.ke spoke to energy expert Jacob Nyambu on why Kenyans were not embracing biogas production.
Mentality
Nyambu explained that many Kenyans were resistant to trying the biofuel due to many years of over-relying on grid power.
“Biogas is one of the cost-effective energy alternatives when it comes to initial capital investment and subsequent maintenance.
“Kenyans are though resistant to change because for years grid power acted as a monopoly and it created trust among people,” he explained.
On why then solar power was gaining popularity and not biogas, he explained, “Unlike biogas, there are established multi-billion corporates behind solar power industry who invest millions in marketing.”
Slow technological advancement
Nyambu described biogas as being stuck in the 90s which has made it not attractive to many Kenyans.
“Solar has invented itself over the years and nowadays someone can even buy a fully connected solar panel eliminating the need to incur installation costs.
“Biogas you still need massive pits to act as digesters for the waste and a complicated installation process,” he explains.
Nyambu added that the huge digesters are unable to produce enough power for large-scale distribution.
Location-specific
According to Nyambu, unfortunately, biogas is not available to households who really need it.
“Most people who are affected by high electricity prices are in urban areas yet it is not easy to install a biogas digester there.
“This is because it is only feasible in certain locations where raw materials are in plentiful supply and in most cases that is in rural areas,” he explains.
Temperature sensitive
According to Energypedia an energy journal, biogas is largely dependent on temperature.
“Anaerobic digestion happens in an environment with a temperature of 37°C.
“When the temperature in the biogas digester falls, you have to supply external heat meaning you may end up using more fuel than you are producing,” the journal explains.
