Promote biogas for cheap and clean energy for rural households of Uganda

Biogas energy typically refers to a mixture of gases produced by the breakdown of any organic matter. It is produced from readily available raw materials such as animal waste, human and recycled waste. It is a renewable energy source with no carbon footprint. 

 Statistics from the Ministry of Energy indicate that there are only about 1,000 biogas digesters in the country which shows that usage of biogas energy is virtually untapped in Uganda.

Most projects are currently in development are either in the planning or demonstration stages around the country, the potential of biogas energy for decentralized small-scale electricity generation is yet to be realized by many especially in villages that remain without access to electricity.Also, biogas energy technology is yet to be promoted at any significant scale by government programmes, national utilities or NGOs active in rural electrification.
 

As government implements the second phase of the rural electrification programme, there’s a need to integrate use of readily available alternative energy sources such as biogas to deliver power to rural households because it’s cheaper and sustainable in the long run.

The rural electrification programme aims at equitable regional distribution of electricity and increasing rural electricity access in Uganda. The target of the recent Rural Electrification Strategic Plan 2013-2022 is to achieve electrification access of 22% (i.e. consumers who will be utilizing electricity in their homes, businesses or institutions) by 2022 from the current level of 5% for rural areas.
 

Electricity access continues to be low and majority of the population in rural Uganda continue to rely on wood fuel which in turn leads to environmental degradation and health hazards.

The Government has continued to favour extension of power to the rural poor with Hydro-power from dams in Jinja which is expensive for the Government and for the rural poor to install and maintain.

Transportation and distribution of Hydro-power over long distances leads to losses that have to be recouped inform of high tariffs.To achieve the ambitious target of the recent RESP2013-2022, government should concentrate on sustainable energy sources such as biogas to deliver power to rural households.
 

Biogas materials are often very much available in rural areas which are beyond the reach of typical grid systems. Animals such as cattle, goats, and produce large amounts of biogas because of billions of micro-organisms living in their digestive system.

Biogas plants can be built on domestic level, which enable most households to own one. These plants treat bio-waste which produces gas for cooking instead of using traditional firewood or charcoal. It also prevents the tendency to throw the waste materials on roads and in public places and reduces landfill waste.

Biogas energy is constant unlike intermittent renewables like wind and solar. It is also often economically viable for power generation and available at low cost and in sufficient quantities.

Biogas technology is already successful in China where almost 90% households and institutions use this energy source.

It has also been used in Rwanda prisons since 2001, about six prisons are saving 50% of cooking costs by using human excreta to produce cooking gas for the prison population of about 30,000.
 Recent increased focus on mini-grid solutions coupled with the potential for making use of locally produced renewable biomass resources means that biogas could provide an important contribution towards rural electrification in Uganda.

Electricity connects rural communities to the world, provides opportunities such as jobs, education and business thus access is very necessary.The Government should increase investments in other sustainable energy sources like biogas so as to increase access in rural areas and also double the share of other renewable energy sources in the energy mix.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/655756-promote-biogas-for-cheap-and-clean-energy-for-rural-households.html

Diana Taremwa Karakire
# Renewable energy in Uganda,Biogas energy.

Solar energy is a more affordable option for Ugandans

The Daily Monitor Newspaper in Uganda recently ran a story about 112-year-old Mzee John Oitamong, to whom a solar power kit worth Shs800,000 was donated by Village Power a non-government organisation. I would like to express gratitude to the Daily monitor and Village power for lighting up this old man’s life with solar power which is a clean and sustainable energy source.

Solar power, while not considered an option among high-intensity electricity consuming rich- households, does meet the immediate needs of low-income rural households and small businesses. Such a solar power kit is enough for a couple of lights and opens business opportunities which can transform lives while providing a cleaner alternative to the widely used conventional lighting methods, such as kerosene lamps.

Kerosene lamps are widely used for lighting in rural areas. Yet using kerosene for lighting is extremely inefficient, dangerous and expensive, and it has extensive health and environmental drawbacks. The World Bank estimates that inhaling kerosene fumes is the equivalent of smoking two packets of cigarettes a day. A number of NGOs such as Village Power are committed to eradicating the use of kerosene lamps by introducing solar power to rural households.

Indeed Uganda’s solar energy resource has the potential to provide off-grid electricity for the current 5 per cent in Ugandan villages who remain without access to power. It has become increasingly clear that hydro-power, as a dominant source of power, remains expensive for these rural poor.

Solar is a one-time investment for the consumer- unlike hydro which comes with regular power bills. They face daily worries like food and education costs. Many of them can barely afford housing, even in urban areas where there is more access to electricity.A one-time investment in solar energy would rid them of the daily worry of energy bills and leave moredisposable income that can be used for other necessities to improve quality of life. While the recurring argument is usually that solar energy systems are expensive, the common person would be able to afford it if it is subsidised and if the government and civil society makes an effort to publicise the benefits of solar energy.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Commentary/Solar-energy-is-a-more-affordable-option/-/689364/2334098/-/u6x64vz/-/index.html
Diana Taremwa Karakire
# Renewable energy in Uganda

Involve private sector in energy development

The government should find ways to increase private sector participation in renewable energy development. This will scale up resources for deployment of alternative renewable energy sources that remain largely untapped; it will also increase the much-needed energy supply in the country.This is critical as Uganda cannot achieve its desired economic development without adequate and affordable 

energy services. Energy is still inadequate, inaccessible, unreliable and unaffordable to the common man and woman in Uganda and power in Uganda remains the most highly priced in East Africa. This is even more heightened in rural areas where access to modern energy still lags behind at less than 4 per

cent, yet most of Uganda’s population is rural-based.The energy shortage in the country and the ever-growing energy requirements like the recent commissioning of a mega steel factory in Namanve, Mukono District that will consume up to 48MW of power, necessitates government

to look to local resource mobilisation in development of alternative renewable energy sources to increase energy supply. Increased investments in renewable energy are required to achieve sustainable energy for all, for the well-being of the poor and for environmental sustainability.

The government should recognise the role private sector can play through public –private partnerships as this remains one of the viable ways through which to scale up resources for development of alternative renewable energy sources, to achieve the supply and demand balance, deliver affordable energy services to Ugandans, for grid extension in rural areas, as well as for off grid systems based on renewable energy technologies for 

remote areas.

It is, therefore, necessary for government to take measures that will attract private sector participation in renewable energy development. There is need to increasingly engage private sector and renewable energy projects should be well designed to attract the necessary finance from the private sector.

The investment climate in Uganda needs to be improved; constraints such as government red tape and bureaucratic tendencies that bring about unnecessary delays and lengthy procedures that restrain private sector investors should be dealt with and replaced with faster and more transparent systems. Investor perceptions and concerns on corruption should be allayed by having more transparent systems and corruption suspects should be investigated and punished. Also, the criteria on incentives should be more transparent.

Risk mitigation facilities should be established for renewable energy projects and initial project development of capital intensive projects can be undertaken by the government as a way of risk mitigation since there are many risks associated with development of renewable energy projects. This will spur local financing for these projects, especially at small scale level.Private sector involvement and investment in renewable energy development will increase energy supply for more Ugandans to get access to cheaper and cleaner energy and draw the country on a path to achieving sustainable energy for all.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/Involve-private-sector-in-energy-development/-/806314/2040470/-/2v2583/-/index.html

Diana Taremwa Karakire
Renewable energy in Uganda