Better Quality Services
Expanding clean energy can improve healthcare and education in East Africa.
East African countries face some of the world’s most significant development hurdles—including poverty, high maternal and child death rates, and low rates of literacy and education. Lack of a grid connection or unreliable power supplies are underlying contributors.
Donors and development agencies need better and more granular data to ensure that their agricultural, health and education projects meet their full potential – which can’t happen when electricity access is not guaranteed.
By demonstrating where there is high viable demand for electricity to power schools and health clinics, Energy Access Explorer enables donors and development finance institutions to determine where funding for electrification efforts can be most impactful.
Data on Energy Access Explorer reveals that clean energy can help provide reliable power to vitally important facilities like schools and hospitals, which often lack stable electricity or rely on expensive back-up power systems like diesel generators.
- 68% of the area housing Kenyan schools and healthcare facilities, and home to 81% of Kenya’s population, has strong hydropower potential. 82% of the area has strong solar power potential.
- 69% of the area where Tanzanian schools and healthcare facilities are located – home to 71% of the nation’s population – has high potential for hydropower development. 98% of the area housing schools and hospitals has high solar potential.
- 60% of the area where Ugandan schools and healthcare facilities are located (where 50% of the country’s population lives) too has high potential for small-scale hydropower. 93% of the area housing schools and hospitals has high solar potential.
Better Livelihoods
Renewable energy potential is high for many East African households without reliable electricity.
In Kenya, nearly 70% of the total land area has high solar potential and a high percentage of people lacking reliable electricity. Approximately 4.3 million people could benefit from this solar energy potential.
In Tanzania, nearly 25% of the total land area has high potential for renewable energy (solar, wind and small hydropower) and a high percentage of people lacking electricity. Renewables could provide energy to approximately 2.9 million people in these areas, about 6% of the total population.
In Uganda, approximately 38% of total land area has high solar potential and a high percentage of people without reliable power. Approximately 6.8 million people could benefit from this solar energy potential.
Higher Productivity
Renewable energy can boost East African economies and businesses.
Kenya’s economy is highly dependent on agriculture: 70% of the population earns all or part of their income from the agriculture industry. 20% of Kenya’s irrigated and rainfed croplands have high wind speeds. Wind turbines could also help power irrigation pumps and allow rainfed farms to use irrigation technologies, which can help farmers increase crop yields and become more resilient to changing rainfall patterns like droughts.
Installing wind turbines in these areas to power agricultural production can improve electricity access without displacing agriculture.