Current Status of Renewable Energy Technologies for Electricity Generation in Rwanda and Their Estimated Potentials

Abstract

Renewable energy technologies produce sustainable, clean energy from sources such as the sun, the wind, plants and water. Renewable energy often provides energy in four important areas: electricity generation, air and water heating/cooling, transportation and rural (off-grid) energy services. According to the Rwanda Energy Group, in 2018, the total installed capacity of Rwanda's power generating plants was recorded at 218MW. Renewable sources of energy accounted for about 113.14 MW (52.4%) of total energy consumption in Rwanda. Renewable energy technologies have the potential to strengthen the nation's energy security, improve environmental quality and contribute to a strong energy economy. The purpose of this paper is to review the current renewable energy technologies in Rwanda with an estimation of their potential; the challenges of new and existing renewable energy technologies are also presented. The most important renewable energy technologies (i.e., hydro, solar and biomass energy) are discussed and analysed. Moreover, each renewable energy technology's description is followed by its current potential share, its challenges, the advantages of increased adoption, future perspectives and disadvantages. The results show that 35.13% of Rwandan households are connected to the national grid and 11.33% accessing through off-grid systems. These show that access to electricity remains low, so in the rural areas, efforts are also required to provide electricity to those who are not close to the national grid.