Wind Beneath East Africa’s Wings: Harnessing the Power of Nature for a Renewable Future
East Africa's energy landscape is at a transformative juncture, with governments, investors, and international organisations pushing for a transition towards cleaner, sustainable energy sources. As electricity demand continues to grow in line with economic development, driven by increasing urbanisation, industrialisation, and the need for improved access to energy in rural areas, renewable energy has become essential for the region's future.
This article explores the growing potential of wind energy in East Africa as a key contributor to the region's renewable energy future. It covers the current energy landscape, highlighting the successes and challenges of hydropower, geothermal, and solar energy. The piece delves into why wind energy is an increasingly attractive option, discussing both the environmental and economic benefits. It also looks at long-term prospects for onshore and offshore wind development, addresses the need for infrastructure investment, and emphasises the importance of strategic planning and international partnerships to fully integrate wind power into East Africa's energy mix.
Current Renewable Energy Landscape in East Africa
East Africa has already made strides in renewable energy adoption. The region is endowed with abundant natural resources that provide a solid foundation for renewable energy projects. Traditionally, hydropower has been the cornerstone of East Africa's electricity supply. Countries like Ethiopia and Uganda have significant hydropower generation capacity, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) stands as a major symbol of this potential. However, hydropower's reliance on consistent rainfall makes it vulnerable to climate variability, posing risks during drought periods.
Kenya leads the continent in geothermal energy production, harnessing the steam from its Great Rift Valley to generate electricity. The Olkaria Geothermal Plant, for instance, has made Kenya a notable player in geothermal energy, with the country aiming to expand its geothermal capacity. Solar energy is becoming an increasingly popular option due to East Africa’s high solar irradiance. Projects in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have made solar power more accessible to off-grid populations, improving energy access in rural areas.
While these renewable sources have shown promise, challenges remain, including high initial capital costs, logistical barriers, and the need for large-scale infrastructure investment. In addition, many of these alternatives are subject to geographic limitations. For example, geothermal energy is location-specific, depending on volcanic activity, while solar energy, though abundant, faces intermittency issues due to weather patterns and limited storage solutions. Wind energy, by contrast, offers a scalable solution that can complement these other sources, especially in coastal and high-altitude areas where wind potential is untapped. By diversifying with wind power, East Africa can create a more resilient, reliable, and cost-effective energy mix to meet its growing electricity demand and aid future development.
Why Wind Energy?
Wind energy is gaining traction globally as a sustainable, cost-effective solution for electricity generation. In East Africa, the region’s wind potential - both onshore and offshore - is yet to be fully harnessed, presenting a significant opportunity.
Countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia have some of the best wind resources in Africa, particularly along their coastal areas and elevated plateaus. The Horn of Africa and areas around the Rift Valley benefit from high wind speeds, making these locations ideal for wind power generation.
Wind energy offers an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels, which results in lower carbon emissions and hence, cleaner air. Economically, pursuing wind energy can create thousands of jobs in construction, maintenance, and operations. By investing in it, East Africa can reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels, enhance energy security, and lower electricity costs in the long run. Unlike fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas, wind requires little to no extraction, refinement, or transportation. Once a wind farm is installed, the ongoing operating costs are relatively low, as no fuel is required to generate electricity. Over time, as wind farms produce more energy, the initial capital costs of constructing the turbines are offset, and there are no ongoing fuel expenses, which helps reduce overall electricity costs.
A great case study that illustrates how wind energy can reduce electricity costs over time is the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in Kenya. This large-scale project, which became operational in 2018, involved the construction of 365 wind turbines with a total capacity of 310 MW, making it the largest wind farm in Africa.
Despite the high initial capital investment of approximately $680 million, the project has proven to be highly cost-effective in the long run. Once the turbines were constructed, operating costs were minimal because wind energy, unlike fossil fuels, does not require ongoing fuel expenses saving $314 million from 2018-2021. As a result, Kenya’s reliance on costly thermal power plants, which require imported diesel, has been significantly reduced. This shift to wind energy, alongside other renewable projects, is expected to reduce electricity costs. The integration of the Lake Turkana Wind Farm will reduce the country's dependency on fossil fuels, which translates into hundreds of millions of dollars saved on fuel imports annually. These savings allow for the reduction of electricity tariffs.
The Lake Turkana project serves as a strong example of how wind energy, despite its upfront costs, can deliver significant long-term savings in energy costs while offering environmental and economic benefits.
Long-Term Potential for Onshore and Offshore Wind
While onshore wind projects, such as Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, have already been implemented in East Africa, there is growing interest in offshore wind energy.
The coastal regions of East Africa, particularly Kenya and Tanzania, present significant potential for offshore wind development due to their access to higher and more consistent wind speeds compared to onshore alternatives. Wind speeds are generally higher offshore than on land due to the absence of obstacles such as trees, buildings, and other surface roughness that slows down winds over land. Coastal and offshore areas benefit from the temperature differences between land and sea, which create pressure gradients that drive stronger winds. This increased speed leads to higher energy yields because wind energy production increases with the cube of wind speed. For instance, an increase in wind speed from 6 m/s to 7 m/s could lead to a 37% increase in energy generation.
In East Africa, offshore speeds get to 7 m/s along the coast of Kenya and even higher during the monsoon seasons. By comparison, in West Africa, regions like Nigeria experience offshore wind speeds averaging 5 m/s, making East Africa's coastal regions more promising in terms of energy output. East Africa’s higher offshore wind potential positions it as one of the top regions globally for future wind development. Offshore wind farms in the UK, for example, often record average wind speeds of around 9 m/s, putting East Africa’s coastal winds in a competitive range globally. This advantage is particularly crucial as East Africa strives to diversify its energy mix and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
However, offshore wind projects are more expensive to develop than onshore ones. The higher costs stem from the complex logistics involved, such as the need for specialised equipment and installation processes, as well as maintaining infrastructure in harsher marine environments. Additionally, the construction of offshore wind farms requires significant feasibility studies to assess wind conditions, seabed composition, and environmental impacts.
For these reasons, onshore wind projects are more affordable and easier to implement in the near term, but offshore wind holds long-term potential due to the higher efficiency and less visual impact. East Africa could eventually benefit from a combination of both, as seen in European countries like the United Kingdom. The UK's success with both onshore and offshore wind energy demonstrates that the technology is reliable and scalable. The lessons learned from the UK's long-standing experience with wind projects can be transferred to East Africa, enabling efficient deployment of similar technologies in coastal and inland regions of the continent.
Figure 1. A diagram comparing onshore and offshore wind turbines.
Incentives for Long-Term Power System Planning
For wind energy to reach its full potential in East Africa, long-term planning is essential. This includes integrating wind power into the overall energy mix, updating grid infrastructure, and attracting investments.
Early investment in wind energy can offer East African countries significant economic advantages. These include reducing energy costs for consumers and industries, freeing up capital for other economic activities to boost local employment in construction and maintenance, which reduces unemployment, and providing training in technical fields. The result of these benefits includes helping the country build a more specialised workforce. Furthermore, by planning for future wind projects now, countries can avoid the high costs of retrofitting or upgrading energy infrastructure later.
Several East African governments are introducing policies to support renewable energy development. Kenya, for instance, has set ambitious goals to increase its renewable energy capacity, while Ethiopia continues to pursue wind as part of its broader renewable energy strategy. Policies that offer tax incentives, feed-in tariffs, or streamlined approval processes that can accelerate wind energy development are needed to attract private investment and scale up production.
While Kenya has a more developed policy framework for wind energy than Ethiopia, both countries still have significant room for improvement. Ethiopia needs more targeted policies and incentives, while Kenya must focus on grid integration and reducing the high infrastructure costs associated with wind energy development. Both nations will benefit from more comprehensive planning and investment strategies to fully harness their wind energy potential.
Large-scale wind projects often require significant capital investment, and international partnerships can provide critical financing. Development banks, global renewable energy funds, and private investors are increasingly looking to Africa as a destination for sustainable energy investment. Organisations like the African Development Bank (AfDB), through initiatives like the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), are key players in financing renewable energy infrastructure through offering grants. This alongside public-private partnerships are the most common forms of funding for such projects. It offers partial risk guarantees (PRGs) to private investors and energy developers, which mitigates the risk of non-payment by public entities, loan guarantees and technical support.
Addressing Grid Integration Challenges
One of the biggest challenges for wind energy adoption is integrating it into the existing energy grid. East Africa’s grid infrastructure needs modernisation to handle the intermittency of wind power. Wind energy production fluctuates based on weather conditions. When wind speeds drop, energy generation can suddenly decrease, creating shortages, while excess energy during high winds can overload the system if not managed correctly. This requires a flexible grid system capable of balancing supply and demand in real-time. Solutions such as battery storage, smart grid technology, and flexible transmission networks can help stabilise wind power. Battery storage systems store excess electricity generated during periods of high wind and release it during low-wind periods, ensuring a steady power supply.
Addressing these challenges will require collaboration between governments, the private sector, and international donors. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) can play a vital role in developing the necessary infrastructure and ensuring that wind energy projects are successful. PPPs can drive investment in grid upgrades, transmission lines, and energy storage solutions. Public entities can secure the necessary land and create supportive policies, while private companies handle construction and maintenance. For instance, in Ethiopia, the Ashegoda Wind Farm was developed with the backing of the Ethiopian government and foreign private companies. The government invested in grid upgrades and transmission lines, while the private sector handled the construction and operational aspects.
Conclusion
East Africa’s wind energy potential is vast and largely untapped, mainly localised in high altitude areas and along the coastline, offering a promising path toward sustainable, cost-effective electricity generation. With strategic long-term investments in both wind power and grid infrastructure, the region could become a leader in renewable energy adoption, as evidenced by the success of the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project. As East Africa continues to grow and modernise, wind energy has the potential to provide a cleaner, more sustainable future for millions while contributing to global efforts to combat climate change. This can be realised through collaboration between governments and private companies from which capital and support will be received.