This illuminating personal insight is care of Andrew Jones, Managing Director, EMEA, of S&C Electric Company. Can the UK – not to mention other industrialised European nations – learn from Kenya when it comes to smart grids? Very much so, argues Andrew…
Adoption of smart grid technology in emerging markets is rising, and fast. It is fair to say that many emerging markets do not have extensive legacy grid networks and in some places are starting from scratch. The benefit of an intelligent smart grid to them is apparent, why would they bother with an out-dated grid similar to that used in countries such as the UK? Arguably equipping the country with reliable, future proof electricity sources is easier than in the UK, say, since they do not have to navigate extensive existing infrastructure for one, but also their approach is refreshing and we could learn a few lessons in Europe.
A colleague and I participated in a seminar in Kenya earlier this year, it was eye opening. It’s been 27 years since I was last there on business and it was noticeable that although many things remained the same, some elements have changed significantly. The most obvious change was the desire to keep up with the most recent innovations from companies other than the global giants who are pushing large centralised solutions.
They also appear to have learnt the lessons from buying cheap and are now migrating back to companies with established reputations for offering quality products with better long-term value.
To many, Kenya has a romantic image based on the vision of wildlife safaris. But over 80% of the population lives a less glamorous life in the many rural areas without any electric grid access. As a result, the country suffers from lack of industrial employment and the economic growth that this drives. They are on the back foot, at least we can say that the majority of the UK population have access to the grid. Grid access is not the only issue in Kenya, as even where infrastructure exists, such as in the capital of Nairobi, network reliability is poor and outages are frequent, particularly during their wet periods.
As it turns out, even in a nation where the infrastructure is not nearly as developed as other areas of the world, there’s a place for the latest smart grid technology, and there are lessons that we should be learning. Smart grid technology can help, and is helping, Kenya develop the type of infrastructure it needs to build a stronger economy. As far as the energy network is concerned, it is starting from scratch which means there are no headaches dealing with complex legacy systems.
