A decision support approach fostering technology transfer towards sustainable energy development in Kenya

Abstract

The exploration of the contribution of energy-related technology transfer (TT) to a developing country’s sustainable development (SD) is thought to be of significant importance. Kenya has several renewable and energy efficiency options with significant potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are “waiting” to become financially and economically competitive. The aim of this paper is to assist Kenya’s decision-making in finding ways to encourage the TT of energy technologies that would contribute to low-carbon sustainable energy development and poverty alleviation. This paper presents a decision support methodological approach that enhances the previously applied technology needs assessments (TNAs) and results obtained from stakeholders’ assessments conducted in Kenya. In addition, the adopted approach contains a number of steps identified from a literature study of TNA approaches, developed and applied by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).Kenya’s high-priority energy needs and the sustainable energy technologies that could meet them were identified to foster energy TT towards low-carbon sustainable energy development. In addition, stakeholder perceptions of the sustainability benefits to be delivered by the selected technologies were assessed. The paper provides useful results that could facilitate Kenya’s Designated National Authority (DNA) and future project investors to implement the most suitable sustainable energy technologies, based on the country’s SD needs and priorities, for TT via the clean development mechanism (CDM). The above is particularly important to Kenya because recent coal discoveries and a lack of supporting incentives and enabling structures for the market could cause the country to become “locked” in a high-carbon future.