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Kenya is an energy deficient country as its installed capacity forelectricity currently stands at about 1500MW for the populationclose to 40 million. As a result roughly only 20 percent of the population has access tothe national grid. The vast majority use wood and other forms ofbiomass for their energy needs. However this under supply of electricity coupled with low cost oftechnology needed to harness renewable energy has lead to anincreasing uptake of solar energy. The UN Environmental Program (UNEP) Regional Office for AfricaDesta Mebratu told Xinhua on Wednesday that Kenya is one of thecountries in Africa that have scaled up the use of solar energy. "The decreasing cost of solar panels is one of the factors that ledto rapid increase in solar energy," Desta Mebratu said on thesidelines of the launch of the Global Environmental Outlook reportin Nairobi. He said that Kenya is lucky to have abundant sunlight which can beharnessed to provide power in an environmentally sustainable way. "One of the advantages of solar power is its portability and istherefore very effective in the remote areas which are notaccessible to the national grid," the UNEP official said. The Kenya government has also contributed to the increased use ofsolar energy to provide power. A few years back, through a gazettenotice, the government removed value added tax and import duty onall solar equipment which brought down the cost of equipment by upto 30 percent. Prior to this move the high cost of installing solar equipmentlocked out a large portion of the population from accessing thisgreen energy. Cheap solar lanterns that retail for as little as 11.6 U.S. dollarscan now provide lighting by tapping on sun energy removing the needfor burning fossils fuels. A survey by the private arm of the World Bank, the InternationalFinance Corporation, revealed that the average household in Kenyaused up to 58 U.S. cents daily on kerosene for their lightingneeds. Davis and Shirtliff, a company that deals with solar products haswitnessed a phenomenal increase in sales for its products. The Deputy CEO David Gatende said that due to high demand, salesfrom solar products increased from 4.6 million dollars in 2010 to9.3 million dollars in this year. Solar Manager Norman Chege attributed the steep decline in the costof solar panels to world production outstripping demand as a resultof new technology making more production possible. "Main markets of solar panels including developed countries such asGerman which offered subsidies to households who used it fordomestic needs abolished the program," Chege said. He noted that the current global and Euro zone economic crisis ledto the end of the subsidies provided by the government which inturn led to a glut of the products in the world market. According to the World Energy Council, the cost of a solar panelwas 4.66 dollars per watt in 2004. The figure however has droppedto 2 dollars per watt in 2011 and is expected to lower to 1 dollarby the end of 2012. The continued use of fossils fuels is having a negative impact onthe environment and the problem grows as economies expand. "Moreover, demand for electricity is overtaking supply which hasled to power rationing," he noted. The government's move to require that all households with waterheating requirements of more than 100 liters per day to install asolar water heater have also contributed to a boom for vendors inthe industry. "For many households cost of heating water accounts for up to 30percent of the electricity bill but with the use of the solarenergy, clients can dramatically reduce the cost while at the sametime help in environmental conservation," he said. One of the ways Kenya can embrace the green economy is through useof renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind. According to industry estimates approximately five percent of allelectricity in Kenya is generated through use of solar. The figurein 2007 stood at one percent. Prior to use of solar panels, the country relied on generatorswhich use fossils fuels. However generator could be a thing of thepast if Kenya's embrace green energy as an alternative to powerfrom the national grid. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Silicone Coin Purse , Germanium Titanium Bracelet Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Negative Ion Wristband today!
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