Energy Poverty – Consumption and Sustainability of Biomass Contrasted to Geothermal in Kenya

Kenya has been considered as one of the fastest growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa at 5.7% growth rate (World Bank, 2021). Numerous factors have contributed to place the country as such; of key significance is the energy sector. Energy is the major pillar in the economy alongside agriculture, construction and manufacturing, and tourism. The energy matrix is comprised of majorly renewable sources of hydro, geothermal, wind and solar but fossil fuel still plays a considerable role specifically in the transport and industrial sector. With an installed capacity of 2336 MW, urban areas are better serviced to electricity needs compared to rural areas. Despite improved development in the energy sector, a vast majority of Kenyans are devoid of clean and quality energy, a factor termed as energy poverty. In order to address this disparity, energy consumption and sustainability is addressed taking into account the options a rural household has for energy requirements. Focus is placed on the sources of this energy, and the use, and the availability or rate of depletion due to continued use of the resource available to the rural household. Various parameters are included such as household income, availability of electricity, and the annual growth rate of electricity access. The Annual Growth Rate (AGR) of our country would be a determinant to propose electrification measures to the rural areas and further guide which viable energy sources to use. Eventually, it would be possible to investigate whether our energy mix supply from renewal sources matches demand and the capability to utilize it. The ministry of energy in Kenya developed energy consumption bands for consumer pricing. The domestic lifeline consumer was created to make electricity affordable to the masses and try alleviate energy poverty. The paper shall address the effectiveness of this tariff contrasted to biomass use. Further, the paper shall investigate the overall impact of geothermal electricity in lowering the cost of power to Kenyans while reducing carbon footprint. Biomass is detrimental to the environment and to human health whilst geothermal energy is green.