(Bad Vilbel) - Tractebel Engineering GmbH will develop an “action plan for the use of Power-to-X technology in Kenya” on behalf of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). To this end, the company says it will analyze the technical and commercial potential for innovative H2 technology in the country.
Tractebel is investigating both the potential of this technology for domestic use in Kenya as well as options for export. Technical, ecological, social and infrastructural aspects are considered and the costs are estimated. The necessary political and regulatory requirements are also incorporated into the investigation in the form of a “PESTEL” analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Environmental, Legal forces).
Kenya already “uses renewable energies in a variety of ways and already generates over 90 percent of its electricity from hydropower, geothermal energy, solar and wind energy as well as biomass.” Tractebel engineers are assessing these and other benefits and considering “what actions are needed to further advance technological change on a larger scale using hydrogen.” Particular attention is paid to the resources of water and geothermal energy as sources for generating renewable electricity and heat.
The Power-to-X technology suitable for Kenya aims to use green hydrogen produced via electrolysis to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The gas is transported using trucks, trains and pipelines. If larger distances have to be bridged - for example by sea - green ammonia made from hydrogen is suitable as a less volatile energy source with a higher density.
“With green hydrogen, Kenya could replace the use of fossil fuels, reduce dependence on imports of fossil fuels and form a new economic sector that keeps larger parts of the value chain in the country and thus creates local jobs and economic growth,” said project director Stefan Drenkard, department head for energy economics and planning. The results are scheduled to be presented in October 2021.
Tractebel, a provider of engineering and consulting services, is part of the French Engie group. The company acquired the Lahmeyer Group in December 2014. In January 2019, Lahmeyer International renamed itself Tractebel Engineering GmbH.
GIZ has been working in Kenya since 1975 and the office is in the capital Nairobi. Kenya is listed as a lower middle-income country by the World Bank. As the largest economy in East Africa, Kenya is one of the economically leading countries on the continent.
According to GIZ information, almost half of the population lives below the poverty line. Agriculture contributes around 20 percent to the gross domestic product, but suffers from the consequences of climate change and is insufficiently modernized.
deep link
https://tractebel-engie.de/de/nachrichten/2021/power-to-x-steigt-kenia-auf-100-gruene-energie-um
Photos
Kenya has large water reserves, here Lake Victoria. / © Tractebel
