21/01/16:1847hrs. A power cut in Naivasha has left Nakuru and Nairobi in the dark.
Kenya Power immediately tells us they are working to resolve this. Seconds turn to minutes as minutes turn hours! We all learn that holding a conversation is very hard these days. A three-hour long one is even harder.
2236hrs: Power returns.
Reliable power is crucial to the growth of any economy. Our industries and households are dependent on it. Since independence, we have relied on hydro and geothermal energy. Thus far we have managed 2000MW of power yet we need 13000MW by 2030 if the industrial goal is to be achieved.
Therefore, there's need for alternative energy sources. This is where Strauss Energy comes in. It is a local firm comprising accomplished and enterprising innovators in the fields of engineering, energy and construction.
Their new technology makes use of the sun and is therefore clean i.e environmentally friendly. It employs the use of Building Inregrated Photo Voltaics (BIPV).
This, says the company on its website, is a modern alternative to installation of solar panel. BIPV incorporates energy-producing solar cells into functional parts of a construction such as walls, windows and roofs.
In other words the BIPV is a two in one;a solar panel and a construction material.Must be expensive right?Think again.Compared to regular solor panels it is cost efficient and more durable.
To top it all of you can actually earn from it. How? Use of BPIV generates enough energy to power up the household and even leaves a surplus which can be sold back to the grid. Nakuru is growing day and night evidenced by the numerous construction jobs all over.It is therefore ripe for this kind of energy.