This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
As Kenya continues to explore renewable energy sources, policymakers are being urged to consider implementing a net electricity metering solution. This system would allow households and businesses with solar systems to sell excess power to the national grid, reducing public cash spent on generation and utilizing excess renewable energy.
According to Peter Ngida, Power Solutions Manager at Amiran Communications, a net electricity metering system works by allowing households and businesses to pump excess power to the national grid, which acts as a storage for power generated. The households are billed whenever they use electricity from the national grid, and the meter spins back, reversing the reading whenever the solar system generates power to the grid.
However, the system is not currently used in Kenya, as electricity generators are licensed by the government and must meet certain thresholds. Despite this, several Kenyans have already adopted renewable sources such as solar systems, generating excess power that could be pumped to the national grid if the net metering system is adopted.
Kenya Power piloted this system a couple of years ago with the SoS Children's Village in Mombasa, and it is estimated that there are over 300,000 potential net metering customers in Kenya. This was revealed as Amiran Communications marked its 25th Anniversary and shared projections for the future, focusing on smart cities and the gig economy.
