Publication date: January 2025

Author: ResearchGate

Description: Access to affordable and sustainable energy is a fundamental driver of socioeconomic development, particularly in developing countries like Kenya. However, despite the promise of solar energy as a clean and accessible energy source, the sector is marred by exploitative practices, especially targeting low-income households. Solar energy companies often sell their products at exorbitant prices, leveraging a lack of awareness and weak regulatory oversight to maximize profits. This study investigated the role of government interventions in addressing this exploitation, focusing on legislation, subsidies and incentives, tax exemptions, and consumer protection mechanisms.

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Publication date: 30 August 2024

Author: International Labour Organization

Description: The ILO STRENGTHEN2 project is conducting employment impact assessments of investments in sub-Saharan Africa to promote the creation of more and better jobs. This report presents an employment impact assessment (EmpIA) of the second phase of the Green Mini-Grid Facility Programme in Kenya. It follows on from a previous EmpIA on the short-term direct, indirect and induced employment outcomes conducted by the STRENGTHEN2 project (Oyuma, Game and Lieuw-Kie-Song 2023). To complement, this report focuses on the long-term employment and livelihood impacts from the productive use of energy (PUE) by businesses created as a result of access to the mini-grids’ electricity. It aims to uncover how mini-grids contribute to job creation in the long-term, including the types of jobs that are created and who benefitted from these the most. In addition, insights on contributing factors to employment outcomes, such as access to financial services, costing and satisfaction of services were collected to understand components that impact job outcomes and form the basis of recommendations for employment promotion.

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Publication date: 23 July 2024

Author: Oxfam

Description: This report provides a comprehensive account of the status of the electricity utility in Kenya. In doing so it analyzes the gaps in Kenya’s electricity governance and suggests ways these gaps can be addressed especially through civil society engagement.

While Kenya has seen some notable successes in advancing its energy sector – in particular in terms of increasing access to electricity – and has seen numerous efforts at reform intended to improve the functioning of the utility. Nonetheless the utility faces significant challenges that undermine the sector's performance overall. Challenges include: weaknesses in power distribution segments, the politicization of the utility company management, system and large commercial power losses. The resulting financial precarity has meant an inability to provide equitable, affordable and efficient electricity utility services. These challenges are compounded by costly power purchase agreements. Altogether these problems have threatened the financial stability of the power utility company and resulted in huge costs and debts.

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Publication date: 28 September 2023

Author: African Development Bank (AfDB)

Description: Kenyan GDP growth slowed to 5.5% in 2022 from 7.5% in 2021. This slowdown was caused by shocks, namely drought, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and constrained international financial market conditions. To mitigate the socioeconomic impact of the shocks and to support growth, policy makers responded with prudent monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policies.

The outlook is positive. The GDP is projected to increase by 5.9% in 2023 and by 6% in 2024, premised on the assumption that commodity prices and global inflation would recede in the medium term. Inflation is projected to fall within the target band of 7.5% and 5.5% in 2023 and 2024, respectively; fiscal deficit to narrow to 6.1% and 5.5% of GDP in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The current account deficit is projected to narrow to 5.3% and to 5.1% in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Downside risks to the outlook include a slowdown in global growth and persistent global financial market tightening. Risk mitigation measures could include creating policy spaces by deepening the fiscal consolidation program, restructuring public debt, and seeking external financial assistance.

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Publication date: 6 April 2023

Author: CLASP

Description: This report aims to determine the state of e-waste management in Kenya by critically reviewing the corpus on electronic waste (e-waste) management in the country. Even though many studies have been conducted on e-waste management, very few are conducted on developing countries in Sub–Saharan Africa including Kenya who face a significant e-waste management issue. The rapid expansion of ICT in Kenya and the growth of the off-grid solar sector over the past decade has seen the proliferation of e-waste in the country. This e-waste poses a great threat to the environment and to the health of its inhabitants and there is a sense of urgency to act on this problem.

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Publication date: 2 April 2023

Author: MDPI / Energies

Description: PV-based mini-grids are identified as a feasible and, often, only economically viable option for the electrification of Kenyan remote and scattered rural areas, where connection to the national grid is challenging, and the related costs are high, if not prohibitive. This paper presents the analysis of typical Kenyan PV mini-grids by using some results of the work in the project “Reliable, Efficient and Sustainable Mini-Grids for Rural Infrastructure Development in Kenya (RESILIENT)”. After presenting average annual and seasonal daily load profiles of residential and small commercial mini-grid customers identified from the measured demands, the paper introduces the main mini-grid components and their models, including a simplified, but reasonably accurate, model of a mini-grid battery storage system based on the manufacturer’s charge–discharge curves.

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Publication date: 25 January 2023

Author: Nature Portfolio

Description: As the world transitions to net zero, energy storage is becoming increasingly important for applications such as electric vehicles, mini-grids, and utility-scale grid stability. The growing demand for storage will constrain raw battery materials, reduce the availability of new batteries, and increase the rate of battery retirement. As retired batteries are difficult to recycle into components, to avoid huge amounts of battery waste, reuse and repurposing options are needed. In this research, we explore the feasibility of using second-life batteries (which have been retired from their first intended life) and solar photovoltaics to provide affordable energy access to primary schools in Kenya.

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Publication date: 20 December 2022

Author: Stockholm Environment Institute

Description: This report examines the need to consider conflict sensitivity when planning and carrying out renewable energy projects in energy-scarce areas, such as refugee camps. The report uses a case study from Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp to look at the potential for renewable energy projects to lead to conflict or to exacerbate existing tensions. The authors argue that the issue should receive greater consideration in project planning and implementation.

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Publication date: June 2022

Author: Elsevier

Description: Over the past decade, the market for off-grid solar (OGS) systems providing affordable sources of energy has seen a remarkable expansion in many developing countries where coverage by the electricity grid is limited. The observed market growth has been fuelled by the provision of finance by a variety of foreign investors to private suppliers of such systems. The development of the OGS market plays an important part in meeting the development imperative of ensuring access to sustainable and affordable sources of energy for all. However, increasing awareness and criticism have emerged about the generation of electronic waste (e-waste) from solar products as an unintended negative side effect of their diffusion. 

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Publication date: April 2022

Author: VeraSol

Description: Currently, there is limited information on the penetration of off-grid solar appliances and how consumers experience and interact with them. VeraSol recognizes that this kind of data is essential for manufacturers to design products more effectively, for sector stakeholders to identify market gaps, and for programs and policymakers to scale quality assurance (QA) efforts. Using data collected during the 2021 study on off-grid solar product usage from 4,195 surveyed households in Kenya, we have taken a deeper look at solar appliance data to produce new insights on ownership of and consumer experience with off-grid solar appliances in Kenya. 

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Publication date: December 2021

Authors: ENDEV and SNV

Description: Kenya is a vibrant hub to more than 100 companies selling solar-powered appliances that are being used across the national economy to generate value and income. Productive Uses of Energy (PUE) is an umbrella term for various ways of using off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity to power electric appliances that help in running a business or an income-generating activity. 

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Publication date: December 2021

Authors: ENDEV and SNV

Description: The Energising Development (EnDev) programme recognises the positive impact the productive use of solar energy (PUE) can have both on solar companies and their customers. In cooperation with the Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KEREA) PUE Working Group (WG), the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), as part of EnDev Kenya, commissioned this study of the Kenyan PUE market to give stakeholders an up-to-date view of the space and recommendations to support its growth. Research was conducted between April and July 2021 and included a survey of 16 Kenyan PUE companies and interviews with 45 stakeholders across the PUE ecosystem. 

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Publication date: November 2021

Author: VeraSol

Description: This study found that more than a decade of concerted, sustained efforts to promote quality solar products in Kenya has paid off. A large majority of consumers reported being satisfied with their products across several dimensions, including price and durability. Only 12 per cent of respondents said that their product had broken down since purchase. Read the report to learn about what types of products people had in their homes, consumers’ experience with warranties and after-sales service, off-grid appliances and much more.

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Publication date: September 2021

Author: NewClimate Institute

Description: Kenya has one of the lowest carbon-intensive power systems in the region, mainly due to the high share of dispatchable renewable sources (primarily geothermal and hydro). Together with its abundance of renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, this is one of the greatest assets to facilitate further integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) and achieve full decarbonisation of its power sector.

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Publication date: August 2021

Authors: Efficiency For Access Coalition & 60_decibels

Description: Four billion people around the world still lack access to affordable, clean, efficient and safe cooking energy. Of these, 1.25 billion are transitioning to use modern cooking services, while the rest face high barriers to adoption.

Between May and October 2020, a Global LEAP results-based financing pilot facilitated the procurement of 4,806 electric pressure cookers (EPCs) in Kenya, sold to households by 6 participating distributors. As the market for EPCs is relatively nascent, Kenya was selected as the target geography for the pilot due to the presence of early-mover EPC distributors, electrification rates, as well as the cost of fuel.

This report presents the results of the research carried out by the 60 Decibels team through 400 phone interviews on the impact and experience of EPC customers. This study aims to provide deeper insights into the impact of first-time appliance ownership.

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Publication date: August 2021

Author: BMC

Description: The delivery of clean cooking access to the 1.2 billion people who cook with charcoal, kerosene, and firewood may have a strong localized employment impact. With the challenge of a rapidly expanding youth population and growing job scarcity in sub-Saharan Africa, understanding the impact of clean cooking on employment as well as the skills gap is timely. However, there is little definitive data on clean cooking jobs. Recognizing this data gap, we sought to conduct a study focused specifically on employment from the clean cooking sectors in Kenya, covering liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), bioethanol, biogas, and electric cooking solutions. This study provides an initial baseline and early estimate of the clean cooking sector's direct formal and informal employment based on one year of company survey data, expert interviews, available literature, and local focus group discussion.

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Publication date: July 2021

Authors: Energy Research & Social Science

Description: Urban and peri-urban communities across the Global South face considerable energy access challenges with over one billion people living without adequate access to basic services such as energy, water, and healthcare. Lack of access to modern energy services has cascading effects on the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article we address this issue, using the SDGs as a framework to evaluate how policies and plans for local energy access can be coordinated with all SDG Targets. With a case study in Kibera, Kenya, we analyse how local energy access could enable or inhibit all local SDG Targets.

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Publication date: 27 May 2021

Authors: RAFLL and Shell Foundation

Description: Understanding how rural households and their needs might evolve over time is fundamental to providing better products and services to these clients—and to designing more inclusive rural economic development strategies. The introduction of the Rural Pathways Model in Pathways to Prosperity was an important step forward in thinking more dynamically about rural households. This model laid out seven different Pathways that rural households might take as they pursue different livelihood strategies and seek to increase their incomes, resilience, and agency.

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Publication date: May 2021

Author: Elsevier

Description: This paper assesses the impact of solar home systems (SHS) on energy consumption and energy-related expenditures among Kenyan households. Based on a pipeline comparison approach of more than a thousand households, it was find that access to a SHS leads to a net increase of 24 to 36 min in daily lighting use due to a 3 h increase in the use of LED lamps, accompanied by a reduction in the use of “dirty” lamps.

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Publication date: 15 April 2021

Author: Tetra Tech

Description: In 2020, the VAT exemptions for Stand-Alone Solar (SAS) products were removed through amendments to the Value Added Tax Act, No. 35 of 2013 that were enacted through the Finance Act, 2020. In addition, the Legal Notice No. EACC/89/2020 removed import duty exemptions for SAS products through amendments to the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004.

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