Biogas is gaseous fuel. It is produced by anaerobic degradation process of organic matter by bacterial consortium. The biomass is converted into biogas and is composed mainly of methane (98%), and carbon dioxide. The biogas is clean, and renewable energy source.
Harvesting the biogas generated from anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic matter, makes the biogas available for use as fuel for direct heating, electrical generation and other uses.
Biojoule an associate company of Tropical Power Energy Group in Naivasha, Nakuru County has opened AD biogas power plant on the shores of Lake Naivasha with an output of a 2.4 MW. It is now connected to the nation power grid by Kenya Power, which makes it the first in Africa. The power is enough to power about 8,000 households
The feedstock is about 150 tonnes per day of organic waste, which is obtained from 800-hectare Gorge Farm owned and operated by VP Group, a fresh-produce horticultural exporter company in East Africa. The biogas made from biomass energy feedstocks is then burned to produce electricity. The remaining undigested solids is used as organic fertilizer, obviating the need of synthetic fertilizers overreliance.
The cost of the plant is US$ 7.5 million, and it took less than a year to build. Its lifespan is projected to be about 25 years, and they expect to recoup the investment cost within 6 years.
The biogas power project has added diversity to Kenya’s distributed energy mix. It is an excellent concept and vital to Kenya’s future energy security. The same technology can applied to produce biogas from municipal organic waste in Kenya big towns.
Solarjoule, another associate company of Tropical Power will also be embarking on constructing a further 10MW solar photovoltaic next year in the same vicinity to add to the national grid.
Kenya's Energy Future 