As part of the conclusion to the Pan-African University of Water and Energy Sciences engagement, our Kenyan-based team met with some of the MSc Energy graduates at two significant renewable energy facilities in Kenya and Rwanda.

Ngong Hills Wind Farm, Nairobi, Kenya

One of the students, Lilies Kathumbi, accompanied AltGen to the impressive Ngong Hills Wind Farm in Kenya. This 25.5 MW farm is located 20km outside Nairobi and is currently the only operational wind power station in the country that is connected to Kenya’s national power grid. The facility is owned by KenGen, which is the largest power-producing utility in Kenya. The farm, which is currently made up of 850 KW turbines, has plans to expand by an additional 10 MW by erecting five 2 MW turbines in the coming months.

It was a wonderful opportunity for Lilies to visit the beautiful Ngong Hills Wind Farm with the AltGen team and she was fortunate enough to be able to meet Kennedy Kamoni, David Magut, and David Waini to discuss their roles and activities as technicians. (see picture below).

Rwanda’s Africa-Shaped Solar Plant

Clementine Ushizimpumu and Devotha Nshimiyimana had the chance to visit Rwanda’s eye-catching 8.5 MW solar power facility. With a lush green field stacked with 28,360 panels, Rwanda’s Africa-shaped solar farm has a significant role to play as one of the first major solar facilities in East Africa. The site visit, which was facilitated by Scatec Solar, was a visual illustration of the benefits that this project has bestowed on the country, both economically and politically. The plant, which was constructed in 2014 in just 6 months, has brought power to over 15000 homes and private households are not the only ones benefiting from the project. The farm is situated on a leased land from Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, just 60km from Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.