ERC has commissioned a study as Kenya seeks to attract investors to tap into the solar power segment.
The survey is expected to guide policy options meant to hot up the market.
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has commissioned a study as Kenya seeks to attract investors to tap into the largely unexploited solar power segment.
The survey, which involves solar financing models and mini grids, is expected to guide policy options meant to hot up the market.
“The objective of the study is to assess the current status of the solar industry, establish the capacity of the installed systems and recommend measures to enhance uptake of the technology,” the ERC said in a notice published last week
Strathmore University in Nairobi is currently the only institution that has connected its 0.6-megawatt solar power plant to the national grid.
The majority of solar systems in use are for own consumption by homes and institutions, making it difficult to keep records, an area the impending study seeks to explore.
The law requires owners of residential and commercial buildings, whose hot water needs exceed 100 litres per day, to install solar water heating systems, failure of which they risk a jail term or Sh1 million fine.
With about half of Kenyan population not connected to the power grid, private investors are rushing to tap this market by setting up small solar-powered stations for off-grid homes.
This has given rise to solar powered mini grids in off-grid villages constructed by Nairobi-based PowerGen (Isiolo), Vulcan, owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (Kajiado and Samburu) and US-based Powerhive (Kisii).
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