Kenya Power has been forced to ration electricity in the wake of supply hitches from the wind and solar plants plummeting, triggering business disruptions and costly use of diesel generators.
Joseph Siror, the Managing Director of Kenya Power, stated that the rationing is more pronounced when wind power generation drops to near zero, creating a deficit that cannot be offset by the other plants, notably during peak evening hours.
Three wind, including the largest 310Megawatt (MW) Lake Turkana plant, five solar plants account for nearly a fifth of the electricity supplied to Kenya Power.
The wind and solar plants currently lack battery storage to store electricity generated during their peak production, when wind speeds and solar radiation are highest, triggering rationing during high consumption hours between 6 pm and 10 pm.
