Civicon Limited will do the roads at LTWP for Ksh.3.2 Billion

News just in confirm that Civicon Limited, a lading construction company has won the contract for the construction of access roads in the Lake Turkana Wind Farm and also a roads to the station.

The contract which is worth Ksh. 3.2 Billion will entail the construction of 109km on-site road network at another 204km access road. These roads will be built to gravel standards and should provide the much needed capacity to handle the excruciating weight of the mighty Vestas Wind Turbines that shall be brought to the site.


The project will last 15Months by which the turbines will be ready for mounting.

Wind Farm Model Project

In a bid to come to a full understanding of Wind Farms, I have embarked on a project which will involve modelling an actual wind farm.

As opposed to regular models by Architects, my model will be alive but not generating. This simply means that, the vegetation will be alive and growing.

To save up on time, since the grass and other vegetation will take time to mature, I will start by preparing the land and planting the grass. As the grass takes tits time to grow, I will be working on the turbine models and associated structures on site.

I have modeled on Google Sketch-up and GH WindFarmer 4.2 (Best) to know how everything will fall in place. Sorry the model is not ready as for now, but I will upload as soon as possible. The whole model will be covered with a glass cover to protect it against dust. A grass watering system will also be working to keep the vegetation alive.

▲The plywood is cornered by cardboard to stop the soil from falling off.

▲Inside view of the setup. Note the plywood is corvered by Formica to prevent any chances of rotting.

▲Complete. I used electrical insulation tape (Green)

There is more...▼▼▼

General Electric launches a 100MW Wind Power Station

The Kenya wind energy sector is getting a boost with a new wind power plant coming in just 2years.

General Electric has announced that it will set up a 100MW Wind Power Station in Ngong, Kenya which will be under a project called Kipeto Energy and construction is said to have already started.

General Electric is an international company with its headquarters in New York, US The project is estimate dto cost this company Ksh.25Billion and it will be ready by the time Lk. Turkana Wind Project is done.

Lets wait and see the outcome...

Kinagop Wind Park, 61MW

Kinagop Wind Park LTD, a local company here in Kenya has announced plans to build a 61MW wind park in Kinagopplateau in Nyandarua County.

The wind farm will have a nameplate capacity of 60.8 MW and the power will be fed into the grid. The company added to say that they will apply for a power generating license in December 5th.

The new plant will add to the nations wind power network breaking ranks to be the largest wind power station. Currently Kenya boasts of Ngong Wind Power as the largest farm with 5 turbines and 5.1MW output. The Lake Turkana Wind Power project, once complete will not only be the largest wind power in Kenya but even in Africa.

National Energy Conference 2011

The 2nd Annual National Energy Conference started in 4th to 6th of this week, I attended the Wednesday 5th event and the presentations were impressive.
There was a good number of exhibitors were in attendance to show their products in in the energy sector. The public attendance was good, though not many were there on that day.
The 3-day event was at KICC (Kenyatta International Conference Centre).

▲The Power Technics stand was the most impressive, they mounted a VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine) which was spinning perfectly. Their people at the stand were also helpful. This was a coincidence because I was on attachment there last year. Good work PTL

▲Geothermal Development Corporation, GDC had an impressive rig for drilling of steam at a well. This model was detailed and given again that I had gone for attachment there, I understood everything well. The person who modeled this, whoever you are, good work.

Another stand worth the mention was KETRACO-Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, a newly formed government corporation that is in charge of the transmission lines handed over from Kenya Power. The gentlemen who were there to explain were very informed and knew what they were saying. The stand looked presentable with a PC to show a GIS software for designing the transmission line network.

Recommendations

1. Lake Turkana Wind Power should have been there, that was the primary reason why I attended.
2. More exhibitors will increase public attendance.

To the event organizers, splendid work, keep up.

10 Steps to install a small wind power project

Thinking of installing a domestic wind turbine?
Good, now read on....

Step1

Measure the electrical consumption of your domestic appliances in KWh

Step 2

Access your wind resource.

Step3

Head to the dealer and select a turbine and a tower basing your selection on the wind resource. The dealer will advice you.

Step4

Contact the municipal authority or council for laws or regulations that may hinder your project.

Step5

Make sure you have a permit to erect a structure beyond a certain limit so that it does not endanger your neighbours.

Step6

Contact the local utility power supply to sign feed-in grid tariff if any.

Step7

Obtain a license for the wiring done from your turbine to the tower and the grid. This can be arranged by the local utility company.

Step8

Time to order the parts including the turbine and generator.

Step9

Install the system

Step10

Commission the system, but you'll probably require a CERTIFIED Installer to do this. Then perform regular
maintenance on the system.Enjoy your system.

Introduction to Wind Power & Energy from the Wind

Wind has been in use since the early days of civilization but its use is what differs from today’s world. In those days wind was used primarily to drive ocean-going ships that connected continents and opened up international trade. One of the famous winds is the Monsoon that held up local and international trade.

In western countries however, wind was a major component and energy source in pumping water. The idea of using wind to generate electricity had not been given a thought then.The use of wind to generate electricity was realized in the 19th century when the 12 kW DC windmill generator constructed by Brush in the USA and the research undertaken by LaCour in Denmark.

However, for much of the twentieth century there was little interest in using wind energy other than for battery charging for remote dwellings and these low-power systems were quickly replaced once access to the electricity grid became available.

The onset of oil is considered to have hit hard on the development of Wind Energy since it was cheap and plenty. However in the 1990s when the price of oil suddenly rose, due to uncertainty of quantity, the need for a reliable source of energy that was environmentally-friendly started again. This time government funded projects led the way.
As the development of Wind energy has gone beyond borders, many concepts and designs have been proposed and tested on a massive scale. Countries and government funded projects have shown some fascinating designs. The Golding of 1955) and Shepherd and Divone in Spera of 1994, record the 100 kW 30 m diameter Balaclava wind turbine in the then USSR in 1931 and the Andrea Enfield 100 kW 24 m diameter pneumatic design constructed in the UK in the early 1950s. In this turbine hollow blades, open at the tip, were used to draw air up through the tower where another turbine drove the generator. Horizontal and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines have emerged as the two major conceptual designs used commercial. Germany is currently leading with the invention followed by Sweden.

Lake Turkana Wind Power Project Given a Go - Ahead

Related Posts:
Lk.Turkana Wind Power Project - Details
Wind Power In Kenya - Ngong Wind Power Station

The Lk. Turkana Wind Power Project which was to start installation last year has finally been given the green light. This had followed months of delay from the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Energy in handing out a Letter of Support. The Letter of Support provides two components ie

1. An assurance from the firm's lenders that the Government will step in and help in case KPLC (Kenya Power & Lighting Company) will
be unable to buy the power generated.
2.IPPs (Independent Power Producers) will obtain liquidity support through the IDAPRG (International Development Association Partial Risks
Guarantees) while the termination and political risks will be covered by MIA (Multilateral Insurance Agency)

Mr.Wageningen, the company's chairman said that they have raised Sh.20Billion, 30% of the estimated project cost and saying that lenders have shown positive attitude towards the project.

The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project will involve the installation of 365 Vestas Wind Turbines each with a max output of 865kW and a combined output of 300MW. Work will start in October 2011. First 50MW will be ready in September 2013.And by the close of 2014, the project will be producing 300MW into the National Grid.

First Green Energy Centre to be set up in Nairobi, Kenya

Kenyans are set to reap the rewards of a new initiative to help local companies develop and set up climate friendly technologies that will create thousands of jobs.
World Bank’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Andrew Steer announced that the world’s first Climate Innovation Centre (CIC) will be established in Nairobi.

Mr Steer made the revelation yesterday during a conference at the Danish Embassy, Nairobi, dubbed "Green Growth in Kenya" which will focus on the private sectors role in promoting green growth in the context of the country’s changing climate.

The CIC is spearheaded by the Royal Danish Embassy and the Banks Information for Development Program and is expected to help Kenya’s private sector boost industry competitiveness, job creation and cut effects of climate change.

Climate technology
"The creative spark of private Kenyans and African entrepreneur can transform climate challenges into market opportunities. This Climate Innovation Center will provide the help to make it happen," he said.In the first five years, the CIC is expected to create more than 70 climate technology businesses, generating some 4,600 direct and indirect jobs.

"The private sector has a pivoted role in the economy, contributing to 80 per cent of Kenyans GDP. It is expected that 1.7 million informal SMEs will be assisted by CIC," said Geert Aagaard Anderson, the Danish Ambassador to Kenya.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said Kenya must take a green development path if it is to realise faster economic growth.He said the energy sector, which drives the country’s economic growth, has the potential to generate renewable energy of up to 7000MW, if fully exploited.

Ngong Wind Power - Kenya

Installed Capacity: 5.1 Mega Watts

Commisioning Year: 2009

Wind Turbines: 6

Output of each turbine: 850kW

Model: Vestas V52

Main Contractor TPF-Econoler SA (Belgium)

Location:Ngong Hills, 22km SW of capital, Nairobi - Kenya.

Standing tall at a height of 50m from the ground, the wind turbines rotate at the winds pace in a bid to generate Kenya's source of Wind Power.The Ngong Wind Power Project which was commissioned in August 2009, is Kenya's largest Wind Power Station but will come second once the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) is completed.

The 6 Turbines, each with a maximum output of 850kW produce a total of 5.1MW of clean energy into the grid.For the Vestas V52 Model turbines, KenGen executed a contract for the implementation of Ngong Hills Wind Power project with TPF-Econoler SA (TPFE) of Belgium on 29th October 2007.