MININFRA: Wind Energy in Rwanda – in which direction will the wind blow?

Wind Energy is a renewable source of energy for electricity production that can be exploited through big wind turbines. A single one of them is able to generate more than 1 MW given the necessary wind supply. In economic terms Wind Energy is currently considered to be the most competitive energy source compared with other renewable energy sources for producing electricity. This is why wind energy today has been developed on a substantial scale all over the world: Globally more than 94000 MW of wind turbines are already installed. It is estimated that by 2010 this would have augmented up to 150 000 MW. Germany for example, being one of the most advanced countries in developing wind farms had an installed capacity of more than 22.000 MW in 2007, which represents a considerable 7,2% of their national power consumption. In Africa only a few countries have so far been able to establish a consistent program for using wind energy, namely South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, where a total capacity of 1000 MW has been installed to date. In Rwanda, the development of wind energy has not yet been given priority, because of the lack of detailed and reliable information on wind regimes and potential exploitation sites. However, since demand for electricity is growing and we are trying to diversify our energy sources as much as possible the Government is currently exploring our national generation potential and possibilities of wind energy development. This is particularly interesting for our rural electrification objectives, because wind energy can exploited and distributed on the spot, wherever the wind regime allows, and could thus distribute power to areas far from our national grid. Moreover a turbine of 300 KW could be sufficient in supplying more than 1000 households with electricity. Ongoing initiatives: The first step in exploring out national potential is the development of a wind atlas. This atlas will enable us to identify windy sites and the estimated exploitable wind energy capacity throughout the country. This will require detailed meteorological surveys and the erection of wind potential measurement instruments in promising sites. Moreover data will have to be collected over a period of about one year to gain valid results. The necessary studies for the development of the wind atlas will start this year and are financially supported by the Belgian Government. Next steps shall include a pilot operation of setting up two or three wind turbines of 100 KW to 300 KW through funding of the European Commission in an effort to improve access to electricity in rural areas. All these initiative will then be harmonised with the development of a strategy for wind energy exploitation, taking into account not only the meteorological and technical potential but also the institutional, regulatory and financial mechanisms for succesful implementation. The study will start late 2008 with funding from the World Bank.

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MININFRA: Wind Energy in Rwanda – in which direction will the wind blow?