“The land of rolling hills, fertile valleys and meandering rivers,” is how Ugandan author Jennifer Makumbi describes it in her novel, Kintu.
Known for its breathtaking lush green hillsides and expansive savanna grasslands, Uganda is also rich in a diverse mix of renewable energy sources including solar, wind, hydro, bio energy and geothermal power, although these remain largely untapped.
With a high energy demand catering to a population of some 47 million people, 25 percent of which reside in urban centers, the East African nation has embarked on initiatives to promote the development of its abundant renewable energy resources for reliable, accessible electricity and modern energy to fuel social and economic development.
Uganda boasts of an immense renewable energy potential, including an estimated 2,000 MW of hydroelectric power, 450 MW of geothermal energy, 1,650 MW of biomass, an average of 5.1kWh/m2 /day of solar energy, and about 250 million tons of peat, according to the Energy and Minerals Ministry. Government estimates indicate that the potential of renewable energy power generation is at 5,300 MW.
The Government of Uganda has expressed a commitment toward transforming the country from an agrarian low-income country to a modern upper middle-income status country by 2040, through development of energy sources that will deliver modern sustainable energy for all.
Uganda continues to have one of the lowest electrification and clean cooking rates in sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2022, around 20 percent of the Ugandan population had access to electricity from the national grid; meanwhile, the government continues to spend colossal sums on importation of petroleum products that most small and medium scale businesses rely on for power as well as transportation.
This story is from the Summer 2024 edition of ENERGIES.
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This story is from the Summer 2024 edition of ENERGIES.
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