Rwanda could soon start to produce significant amount of electricity from wind, thanks to a new project spearheaded by a Rwandan national based in the US.

Jackson Ndizeye wants to have rural communities lit up using wind in not later than a year, and has already embarked on the mega project which could contribute at least 6MW to the country’s energy needs.

State Minister Eng. Albert Butare says at the moment the country has an energy deficit of up to 30 percent, and admits that such innovative undertakings would help the nation not only address the current power supply shortfalls but also in connecting millions of people with electricity.

Ndizeye, through his charity Rwindalectric, is set to commission a 12-month feasibility study to determine the wind capacity of Rwanda, which may cost about $50,000.

Before June this year, equipment that will measure the wind capacity to determine how much electricity can be generated, should be on the ground, he told RNA.

"The total cost of this equipment is around $15,750. Our organisation has already purchased the most important component of the equipment, the Data Logger, and has enough funds to buy most of the remaining components", Ndizeye said.

Ndizeye hopes to acquire sponsorship from well-wishers and make his dream a reality.

"We are organising a fundraising campaign to purchase the most expensive of these components, a 60 meter tower, which costs $12,800." he said, adding that once the tower is purchased, "we will ship the whole equipment to Rwanda to start operation".

The 60-meter wind measurement equipment is capable of capturing the speed of wind at a high elevation and determining the amount of electricity that can be produced. In other words, the tower’s length is about three quarters of a football pitch, installed upright in the skies.

Ndizeye, a graduate from La Roche College in the U.S, with a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology and a Minor in Mathematics, also has support of the University of Philadelphia in this endeavour.

At the moment, electricity supply in the country still faces minimal load-shedding, but electricity growth remains at standstill.

Some businesses have resorted to fuel-powered generators, which makes business costly due to the existing high pump prices.

In January 2004, an acute energy crisis hit the country resulting into a loss equivalent to 40 percent of total electricity production.

The fall in water levels in lakes Burera and Rulindo (in the Northern Province) caused the utility provider, Electrogaz, to reduce generation significantly.

The crisis saw Ntaruka dam electricity supply drop from 11.25 MW to 2.5 MW, while Mukunga dam, could only manage producing a meager 5 MW, down from 12.5 MW.

In 2005, Government shipped in mega generators that were able to bring down the supply gap with a 25-30 MW.

But as oil prices continue to rise, officials do not find this sustainable.

"Despite this additional thermal generation, it is clear that the country is still in deficit and there is pressing need to conclude public-private partnership agreements and avail electricity if we want to market Rwanda as an investment destination", Eng. Butare wrote in a May 2005 recognition letter to Ndizeye.

As such, the minister reaffirmed government support to Rwindalectric for the wind electricity initiative that, according to Ndizeye, should add up to 10MW to 50MW of the power that the nation needs.

Butare said this week that the government is fully aware of Ndizeye’s project and was ready to provide him with the necessary support. "We have discussed about it and pledged support, but it seemed like he and another Rwandan are still looking for funding. I know he has been a student and probably he has completed."

"It is a mega project which requires better understanding of the country’s geography and enough equipment. On the surface it’s a simple project, but there are a lot of technicalities involved," he told The New Times.

He explained: "It s a technology which produces electricity when the rotors rotate as a result of wind," Butare said.

"When the wind blows the blades, the blades rotate making the rotors on which blades are connected also to rotate, hence generating electricity," the minister added, as he tried to give a hint on how the technology operates.

Ndizeye told RNA that his project would largely target rural communities. In Phase-One of the project, an institute is to be established, that will collaborate with Rwanda’s technical school to teach Rwandans how to build small scale wind turbines.

This technology has already been made and used successfully in Kenya by WindCruise.

"These small scale wind turbines can be installed on certain facilities, such as medical centers, in very remote locations in rural Rwanda," he explained.

For the second phase, a Wind Farm will be put up. This is a site where there will be more than two large scale wind turbines, capable of producing a range of electric powers (10MW to 50MW). The electricity produced at the Wind Farm will be dumped into the national grid to complement what is being produced by Electrogaz, at a regulated cost, Ndizeye said.

The number of villages that could benefit from the project, according to Ndizeye will be determined after how much wind there is on any particular site has been determined.

However, to get the project running involves big resources that mean big investments. And indeed, Ndizeye concurs that Rwindalectric, which will establish the wind project on a charity basis cannot go it alone.

Our financial support is made of grant makers and donors, he told RNA from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the US.

Rwindalectric has already engaged the World Bank that has apparently "shown interest already". "As far as sustaining our projects in Rwanda, we have a plan to work with rural community banking systems and international donors such as the World Bank and UNDP, to name but a few," he added.

It is expected that rural community banking systems (cooperatives) will help finance maintenance of the equipment, while international donors will finance the implementation of the project.

Following an event in 2006, in which US’ Radnor High school students discussed tolerance of differences – using Rwanda as case point, the audience decided to do something for the country. Consequently, the event’s organizer, Briana Bower is a member of directors of Rwindalectric.

In December 2006, students and staff from the university donated over $2.300 towards wind energy project for rural communities in the country.

Rwindalectric has already bought the first Data Logger – which is the most important component of the equipment necessary.

Other similar wind power generating initiatives have been tested in Rwanda such as a project in Eastern province that pumps water from the ground for a sizable community in that semi arid area. There is another installed in Kigali.

A number of countries have turned their attention to wind-generated power in the recent years. For instance, in December last year, Britain revealed plans to generate enough electricity through offshore wind farms to power every home in the country by 2020. The use of wind energy is equally increasing rapidly in the United States.

Experts say that wind energy systems not only provide a cushion against electricity price increases, but also reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and they don’t emit greenhouse gases.

Apart from hydro and thermal power options, a mega German-funded solar plant is installed just outside Kigali. There is also a biomas technology, which has helped light prisons and schools from wastes.

Extraction is also at advanced stages for methane gas from Lake Kivu – in north western Rwanda. The gas, experts say, will be used to power up generators for electricity.

The country still imports electricity from some neighbouring countries.

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