The East African Community EAC (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan) is still challenged by energy poverty for its socio-economic development. A continuous and fast growing ene.
Energy Planning Strategies for Burundi The Burundian energy supply highly depends on traditional use of biomass. The literature shows that the power supply of this country mainly relies on hydropower generation. Many hydropower projects are under development to increase the electricity access of this country .
What is the primary energy supply in Burundi?
The remainder of the primary energy supply is from oil (“Burundi Energy Profile” 2021). However, a majority (98%) of the renewable energy supply in Burundi is bioenergy. The remainder of the renewable energy supply is hydroelectric, and solar power (“Burundi Energy Profile” 2021).
Although the country is endowed with a huge potential for various energy resources, there is higher uncertainty about what will become the Burundian power sector in long-run. This uncertainty is higher as the target of reaching 30% of electrification rate in 2030 is still far from the current situation (Fig. 2).
Does Burundi have solar power?
However, solar makes up a small fraction of energy supplied in Burundi due to its relatively low installed capacity of 5 MW (“Burundi Energy Profile” 2021).Solar made up 5% of all installed capacity in 2020, generating a total of 8 GWh of electricity for the year, which accounted for 2% of annual electricity generation in Burundi.
How much energy does Burundi use?
A great portion of energy consumption in EAC is traditional biomass. Burundi accounts 96.6% of total consumption in form of wood and charcoal whereas electricity, petroleum products and other are respectively represented by 0.6%, 2.7% and 0.1% . The reliance on traditional use of biomass in Kenya is 68% of its total energy consumption .
What can a Burundi Energy Center do?
For example, such a center in Burundi could focus on funding and implementing solar-plus-storage technologies for rural and remote households. The 2015 Electricity Act enables foreign investments into the power sector. In addition, laws in Burundi allow tax benefits for energy investment and public-private partnership.