Electricity market coupling and investment in renewable energy: East Africa Community power markets

ABSTRACT

The United Nations, through key legal instruments such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement, has focussed on fighting threats to climate change. This involves promoting new technologies and just transition from the fossil fuel-based power generation. However, such a transition requires innovation, policy review and realistic implementation timeline. This research reviews the current development targeting solar and wind resources investment in the East Africa Community (EAC) electricity markets, where, a future integrated electricity market in the five examined countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi) transit to low carbon economies. A comprehensive review of existing and proposed policies targeting the promotion of investment in renewable energy sources (RES) is carried out, and a suitable model to advance the integration of RES proposed. This roadmap, called Renewable Integration Continuum (RIC) model provides a framework through which EAC power market coupling is feasible.

KEYWORDS:

• Electricity markets coupling
• low carbon policies
• renewable integration continuum
• East Africa Community

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 The ‘20-20-20 objective’ refers to a 20% reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions from the 1990 levels; a 20% increase in share of EU energy consumption from renewable sources; and a 20% reduction of EU primary energy use by the year 2020. This was through the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC.

2 The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan: National strategy for climate and energy; The UK Government has a five point plan to tackle climate change at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228752/9780108508394.pdf.

3 Regional status report on EAC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Report of 2016.

4 Electricity Supply Industry Reform Strategy and Roadmap 2014–2015 by the Ministry of Energy and Mines Tanzania.