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UNIT 14:POWER AND ENERGY PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD
Key unit competence: The student-teacher should be able to evaluate
the success of sustainable development projects
in the power and energy production in different
parts of the world.
Introductory activity
1. Observe pictures provided below and answer the following questions:
i) Identify the types of power and energy shown above.
ii) Which ones are renewable among them?
iii) Explain how each type of power and energy works.
iv) Indicate the types of power and energy used in Rwanda within those
shown on the pictures above.
2. Describe the problems that some countries face in power and energy production.
3. 3. How can power and energy contribute to the sustainable development of our planet?
14.1. Sources and forms of energy used in the world
Activity 14.1
1. Make a short tour in the school and the surrounding environment
and answer the following questions:
i) Identify the activities that require power and energy at your school.
ii) Describe the forms of power and energy needed for each activity
identified above.
2. Discuss the sources of power and energy exploited and not exploited in Rwanda.
14.1.1 Classification of energy resources
There are two main categories of energy resources:
• Non-renewable resources: These are resources of energy without the
capacity of replenishing themselves after being used. When used they
get exhausted and cannot be re-used. They include minerals, natural
gas, oil and coal.
• Renewable resources: They are inexhaustible. These are resources of
energy with the capacity of replenishing themselves after being used.
They include water, wind, solar, plants (biomass) and animals (biogas).
A. Non-renewable energy sources
Non-renewable energy resources are available in limited supplies. This is
usually due to the long time it takes for them to be replenished. They includenuclear energy and fossil fuels energy resources like coal, oil and natural gas.
i) Nuclear energy (Uranium)
Nuclear energy is energy obtained from uranium through a chain reaction. When
it was realized that when the nucleus of an atom is bombarded by electron it
disintegrates and release enormous quantity of energy
Generation of electricity involves a lot of technical know-how and so far, only
highly developed countries have been able to master it.
ii) Coal
Coal is a sedimentary deposit formed by the slow action of heat and pressure
on plant remain buried in the long past. It is a mechanical mixture of carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur, etc.
The coal can be used in the following:
─ In thermal generators to produce thermal electricity.
─ As a domestic fuel for heating and indirectly in the form of a gas and electricity.
─ In iron smelting e.g. through use of metallurgical coke in blast furnaces.
─ To provide a number of raw materials for the chemical industries like
coal gas, coal tar, benzene and ammonium sulfate
iii) Petroleum (oil)
Petroleum is an inflammable mixture of oil hydrocarbons with very complex
properties. Petroleum literally means ‘rock oil.’ It exists underground in solid,
liquid and gaseous form.
The following are uses petroleum:
─ for heating homes
─ as industrial power to drive/move engines and for heating furnaces
and producing thermal electricity;
─ as transport power for driving railways, motorcars, ships and aeroplanes;
─ as lubricants of machines especially high-speed machines;
─ as a raw material in various petro-chemicals industries, such assynthetic rubber, synthetic fibres, fertilizers and medicines.
iv) Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting
primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other
higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen,
hydrogen sulfide, or helium.
Natural gas (Methane) as a fuel may be used for cooking, heating and even to
generate electricity. It has the advantage that it can be pumped through pipes
from wells to consumption sites. It is also a “clean fuel”. This means that it causes
less air pollution. Natural gas can be shipped in liquid form, called liquefied
natural gas.
B. Renewable energy sources
These are resources of energy with the capacity of replenishing themselves
after being used.
They include the following:
i) Wind energy
Wind energy or wind power is the use of wind to provide the mechanical power
through wind turbines to turn electric generators. Wind is an almost unlimited,
free, renewable, clean and safe source of energy. It has a moderate net useful
energy yield and is based on fairly well developed technology.
ii. Water energy
This is the energy produced from running water. Usually, a dam is constructed
along a river to store water. The water is then made to fall over a steep gradient.
It then passes through a turbine hence spinning the blades of the turbine. Rotation
of the blades causes the turbine to turn an electric generator that produces electricity.
iii. Solar energy
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either
directly using photovoltaics, indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination.
iv. Biomass
Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a
renewable source of energy. Biomass is a renewable energy source for the two
reasons: first the energy in it comes from the sun, second, biomass can re-grow
over a relatively short period of time compared with the hundreds of millions
of years that it took for fossil fuels to form.
Biomass energy includes: wood fuel, Bio-gas and Gasohol.
- Wood fuel: This is a very important source of energy in third world
countries. The wood obtained from forests is either used directly or converted
to charcoal.
- Waste products (Bio-gas): This is a flammable gas produced by micro-
organisms, when organic matter is fermented under specific temperatures,
moisture content and acidity. It is mainly composed of methane
which burns with a blue flame.
- Gasohol: Plant material may be converted to alcohol which is a fuel.
Wood, wood wastes and garbage can be heated to produce methanol.
Most plants containing starch and sugar like sugarcane and cassava can
be converted to ethanol. Corn, corn stalks, manure and sewerage can be
fermented and distilled to give ethanol. Both methanol and ethanol aredirectly burned as a fuel.
v. Geothermal
Geothermal energy is produced when rocks lying deep below the earth’s surface
are heated to high temperatures by energy from the decay of the radioactive
elements in the earth and from magma. Geothermal energy can be considered
as renewable source of energy if deep underground heat flows can be tapped.
Geothermal energy can either be used for heating water, directly and space
heating needs in agriculture and for domestic purposes or it can be convertedinto electricity.
Application Activity 14.1
1. Describe the sources of power and energy exploited in Rwanda.
2. Indicate the main hydro-electric power stations in Rwanda.
3. Suggest other alternative sources of power and energy that can be
used in the world.4. What types of energy sources promote environmental sustainability?
14.2. Factors and importance of power and energy
production in the world
Activity 14.2
1. Describe the areas of power and energy production in Rwanda,
showing the reasons of their geographical location.
2. What are the challenges that Rwandans would be facing if thoseareas identified above were not there?
14.2.1. Factors favouring power and energy production in the world
The following are the major factors influencing power and energy production
in the world:
• Availability of market to consume the electricity produced. For
example, densely populated areas, industrially and commercially
advanced, have a great demand for electricity.
• Availability of capital to invest in power and energy production.
Production of energy/power, setting up power houses, and transmitting
electricity through wires to the areas of consumption require a lot of
capital in terms of money.
• A high degree of technical knowledge and skills.
• The potentiality of power and energy generator, the amount of hydroelectrical
power to be produced depends on the quantity of water and
velocity of stream.
• The natural environment of the area where the power and energy
will be produced and transported such as the topography (e.g. nature
of terrain and slope), climate (e.g. amount of rainfall, sunshine),
hydrology (e.g. quantity and quality of water), affect the production ofpower and energy.
14.2.2. Importance of power and energy in the development of the world
Power plays a role in the development of a country in different ways such as:
• Earns foreign exchange: Energy can be exported in neighboring
country and in that way, it is contributing to the earning of foreign exchange.
• Development of industrial sector: Most industries use petroleum
and its by-products to run the machines. Electricity is also used to run
machines while wood fuel is used in various processing industries
such as tea processing.
• Development of transport sector: Petroleum is used in road
transport, water transport and air transport meaning that it the basic
element in transport.
• Creation of employment opportunities: The generation of electricity
is offering employment to a good number of people.
• Development of agricultural sector: Solar energy is used to dry
grains and other produce such as tobacco, cocoa and coffee. Petroleum
and its by products are used to run water pumps and other agricultural
machinery. Wind power is used in dry regions to pump water for irrigation.
• Improvement of welfare of people in general: Various forms of
energy is used for various purposes such as cooking, lighting and heating.
Application Activity 14.2
1. Describe requirements for Rwanda to fully exploit its available
power and energy resources.
2. Visit your local industrial areas and identify the role of power and
energy in an industry.
14.3. Problems and possible solutions for power and energy
Activity 10.3
Visit a power station in your environment and do the following:
i. Identify the problems of power production
ii. Suggest the possible solutions to the identified problems.
14.3.1. Problems hindering the development of power and energy in the world
The energy crisis is still experienced in different parts of the world. This is due
to the following reasons:
• Overdependence on oil and its products. Many countries rely on
petroleum and petroleum products in industrial, transport and
agricultural sectors. It therefore becomes quite difficult to switch to
other sources when there is a problem with the supply of oil.
• Economic and political embargoes fixed by the rich countries. For
example, in 1973 the oil producing countries in the Middle East
imposed oil embargo on USA because of its interference in the Israel
and Palestine war.
• Increase in oil prices imposed by the Oil Producing and Exporting
Countries (OPEC).
• Depletion of wood fuel due to overexploitation of forests.
• Exhaustion and deepening of coal mines. Coal is a non-renewable
source of energy. Its continuous use leads to the deepening of the mines
hence its exhaustion. Consequently, the cost of extraction increases
leading to high prices of coal in the world market.
• Environmental pollution: Some sources of energy like coal and
petroleum emitted Carbon dioxide in atmosphere. The increase of
carbon dioxide in atmosphere leads to ozone layer depletion and
climate change with their consequences.
14.3.2. Possible solutions for power and energy in the world
The following are the solutions to the problems of power and energy in the
world:
• Move towards renewable resources: Reduce the world’s dependence
on non-renewable resources and to improve overall conservation efforts.
• Buy energy efficient products: Replace traditional bulbs with
fluorescent tube lights CFL’s and light emitting diode (LED’s). They use
less watts of electricity and last longer.
• Energy Simulation: Energy simulation software can be used by big
corporates and corporations to redesign building unit and reduce
running business energy cost. Engineers, architects and designers
could use this design to come with most energy efficient building and
reduce carbon footprint.
• Government may come in and improve on public transport efficiency
so as to reduce the need to use personal vehicles to reduce the use of petroleum.
• On the domestic front, energy conservation can be achieved by making
electrical appliances like refrigerators, television, electric cookers
more energy efficient. This can be supplemented by switching of
electricity gadgets when not in use.
• Educating the public about the importance, the conservation and the
sustainable use of energy resources.
Application Activity 10.3
This is an extract of an interview with Wilson Karegeya, a firm’s director
for commercial services, Rwanda Energy Group held with iPAD Rwanda
Power & Infrastructure Investment Forum in Kigali.
This interview was conducted two months before splitting EWSA intoWASAC and REG. Read it carefully and answer the questions related to it.
Let’s start with an update on the reform of the energy and water
organisations in Rwanda.
Rwanda Energy Group today was still EWSA two months ago. EWSA was
the Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority, a government parastatal,
which they thought splitting the organisation would ensure more
efficiency, better and quick service delivery. So it was split two months
ago, forming two corporations: one for water, the Water and Sanitation
Corporation, headed by a Managing Director.
It was a department in EWSA and is now a standalone company and still
100% owned by government. There is also the Rwanda Energy Group
(REG), which will specifically deal with energy projects. REG also has
two subsidiaries, the Energy Development Corporation Ltd and the
Utility Corporation. The Energy Development Corporation will mainly
address generation and new investments.
What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months?
We have now embarked on asset separation; EWSA had a lot of assets
that need to be shared between the water company and the electricity
company. There are issues of accounts and fixed assets like land and
buildings that need to be split and shared. That is what the new companies
are doing right now. We are being assisted by Price Waterhouse and
some other specialised companies to make sure the reform is done well
for better service delivery.
And we expect, of course, more specialisation for these companies. The
water company will now specialise in making sure that they deliver clean
water to the population. They will be less distracted because they will
be mainly focused on providing clean water. And the electricity company
will now not be overstretched, looking into water and electricity but
looking specifically into electricity projects, so I expect more focus for
these companies that will lead to better service delivery.
The energy projects that you will invest in, can you highlight specific
challenges and how you will overcome them?
One challenge is that we were used to government investments where
government invests in energy projects. We have now adopted an
approach to involve the private sector more in the generation phase
of it: where we identify projects that need to be developed, advertise
them, attract private investors, (IPPs) and negotiate the power purchase
agreements with them, once we agree and sign the contract, the project
is up and running. Where I see challenges is in the contract management.
It is an issue that we are not used to working with IPPs. Although you
a PPA with an independent power producer, it is more about
managing the contract from day one up to the last day of the contract. So
that is a challenge there but we hope to overcome it by training our staff
to make sure they know how to deal with IPPs, know what to expect and
when and what the IPP has to deliver. That is very important.
In terms of generation capacity in Rwanda, what is currently
available and how much are you projecting?
Currently we are at 110 megawatts capacity and we expect to generate
up to 563 megawatts by 2017. That is the target we have. There are
on-going projects that will enable us achieve this targeted megawatts
and some are nearing completion. We have also taken the direction of
using the regional interconnectors in order to share power with the
neighbouring countries. We are currently negotiating a PPA with Kenya
aiming at purchasing power from Kenya through Uganda.
Power generation goes hand in hand with other infrastructure
development such as roads; rail etc. what are the plans there?
In the transmission sector we have also started using private developers.
We recently advertised a tender to attract investors to come and do the
transmission lines and improve the networks as we expand the capacity.
Of course, there is a need to improve the network, so we are doing that
concurrently.
What is a day like in Rwanda in terms of electricity supply?
Until recently there weren’t many power outages in Rwanda. But now
industry is growing and the demand for energy is growing and we are
striving every day to increase the capacity to serve all our customers,
be it investors, industrial or domestic. Of course, you get investors who
come to us saying “I want 5 megawatts, I want 15 megawatts, I want up
to 10 megawatts”, so you have to work hard to make sure you use all the
resources available to provide such electricity.
A recent example is a new cement factory that has asked for up 15
megawatts, and we have a total capacity of 110 megawatts for the whole
country. So you can imagine how hard we have to work. The good news
is that we have secured the power the factory requires.
Who looks at tariffs and the regulation around tariffs?
It is RURA (the Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency). But if we are
attracting investors for projects above 5MW, we negotiate a tariff. For
projects below 5 megawatts, there is a feed in tariff set by RURA. For
big projects, Rwanda Energy Group negotiates with the developer andagrees a tariff at which it will supply electricity.
What is the situation with residential access to power?
For now, the residential users are connected and satisfied. The challenge
we are facing is the new industries that are emerging. Otherwise the
domestic customers had no issues sofar. Perhaps they might have to
start competing for the insufficient power that we have – to share this
among the commercial and domestic clients that we have. But we are
working very hard to bridge the demand gap that is growing day by day.
What do you see happening in the East African region in the next five years?
My personal view is that if the current trend of cooperation among the
East African member States continues, I see success. When I look at the
engagement between member countries, sharing power, that is success.
When I see the opening of borders for trade, that is success, and opening
of borders for human capital, that is success. If this trend is maintained
I see a powerful East African Community.Extracted from: ESRI AFRICA: AFRICA’S POWER JOURNAL, Published on
Questions:
September 10, 2014
1. Account for the energy status of Rwanda and its importance to
national development.
2. Describe the problems highlighted in the interview.
3. Basing onexperience from the East African Community countries,explain the importance of power distribution.
Skills lab
They are many sources and forms of energy across the world. Evaluate anyform of energy which is successful to the sustainable development.
End unit Assessment
1. Assess your district infrastructures and suggest the potential
power and energy sources to be exploited
2. If you were the chairperson of African Union propose appropriate
strategies for sustainable power and energy development in Africa.
3. Account for the status of power and energy production in the world.
4. Basing on relevant examples or case studies, explain how energy
resources contribute to the development of some countries. What
about Rwanda in that regard?
5. Analyze the figure below and discuss the trend of the use of energyin the world and the challenges that it is likely to cause in the future.
