Geothermal Power in Kenya

Posted Sep 11, 2009 | 0 | Filed under:

Geothermal Power is touted as one of the most reliable, cost effective renewable energy sources. In Kenya, following the lowest cost policy, the country is focusing a lot of resources on developing Geothermal power. All the potential is currently concentrated in the floor of the Rift Valley and so far, all looks great.

There have been concerns about the risk that geothermal power development can cause to the location. In a New York Times article , Rudolf Braun, the leader in a team that is carrying out a study on the Basel Project in Switzerland that has been shut down since it generated earthquakes in 2006 and 2007, suggests that having project developers speak openly about the seismic risks posed by their projects could help communities better understand and help retain valuable public opinion in support of their projects. Such uncertainity has led the US Department of energy to scrutinizing the effects of AltaRock's activities on the recent seismic activity in the area. Altarock is a Geothermal development company currently working in the NorthWest USA. They have since had to suspend their drilling citing "difficult technical challenges".

While concrete corelation between geothermal power development and seismic activity remains to be seen, it is important that goethermal power project developers put a great deal of effort in disclosing risks and sharing their findings with the public to ensure that an otherwise great source of power is not fully exploited due to misinformation or unsubstantiated concerns.