As Kenya continues to increase the proportion of clean energy power generation, the stability of power supply has received more and more attention. A few days ago, a number of local independent power producers urged the use of battery energy storage systems to ensure the stability of power supply and smoothly achieve the goal of "100% clean energy generation by 2030".
Kenya’s state-controlled Kenya Electricity and Lighting Corporation (KenyaPower) has announced that it will develop a battery energy storage system to store electricity generated by wind and solar power plants during off-peak hours and then use the stored energy during peak periods. This move aims to further enhance the stability of power supply and help clean energy generation to further replace expensive thermal power generation.
KenyaPower said it expects the first battery storage system with a capacity of 100 megawatts to be operational by 2024, with a gradual increase to 250 megawatts thereafter.
Demand for energy storage in the Kenyan power system has grown as the country uses more power plants from intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar. Wind energy and solar energy cannot achieve full-time power generation and power supply due to natural limitations, so it is difficult to ensure the stability of users' electricity consumption.
Currently, renewable energy accounts for 73% of Kenya's installed power generation capacity, 90% of which comes from green energy sources, including geothermal, wind, solar and hydro. Wind and solar accounted for a relatively small share of installed capacity at 15% (435 MW) and 2% (51 MW), respectively.
The share of wind and solar energy is expected to continue to grow, resulting in excess power generation during off-peak hours and increased intermittent capacity on the national grid. Therefore, it is imperative to vigorously develop energy storage.
In 2020, Kenya invested Sh15 billion in a pilot 80-megawatt renewable energy project equipped with battery energy storage systems in Meru County, mainly powered by a combination of wind and solar energy. The project is being developed by Meru County Government, Australian wind energy developer Windlab and Japanese energy developer Eurus Energy.
Last year, the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum released the Lowest Cost Power Development Plan (LCPDP) 2021-2030. The plan shows that battery energy storage systems will be integrated into the national grid to support renewable energy technologies.
Batteries feature prominently in power generation capacity expansion plans, which include adding 50 MW of battery storage to the generation mix in 2022, increasing to 250 MW by 2026.
At present, the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya Electric Power and the United States Agency for International Development have developed a roadmap for the cooperation of battery energy storage systems. Several U.S. companies are considering entering the Kenyan energy storage market and are in further talks with the Kenyan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and Kenya Electricity.
KenyaPower believes that Kenya needs to build more than 480 MW of battery energy storage systems in the future to help solve problems related to frequency adjustment, load transfer, voltage stability and network reliability of its national grid.
