Renewable Energy is one of the four technical Directorates of the Ministry of Energy.

Vision and Mission: The Directorate’s Mission Statement is guided by the Ministry’s Mission

This Directorate is headed by Director or Renewable Energy who reports to the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Energy. The current Head is Eng. Isaac Kiva, Director of Renewable Energy.
The Directorate has three departments headed at the level of Senior Deputy Director  of Renewable Energy. The Departments are:

•    Alternative Energy Technologies;
•    Energy Efficiency & Conservation; and
•    Bio-Energy Development.

The Directorate also oversees the operations of the sixteen Energy Centres spread across the country.

Overall Objective

• The broad objective of the Directorate of Renewable Energy is to promote the development and use of energy technologies, from the following renewable sources: biomass, (biodiesel, bio-ethanol, charcoal, fuel wood), solar, wind, tidal waves, Small hydropower, biogas and municipal waste. The specific objectives are to:
• Formulate a national strategy for coordinating research in renewable energy;
• Provide an enabling framework for the efficient and sustainable production, distribution and marketing of these energy sources: – biomass, solar, wind, small hydropower, municipal waste, including  charcoal;
• Promote the use of fast maturing trees for energy production including bio-fuels and the establishment of commercial woodlots including peri-urban plantations;
• Promote the use of municipal waste for energy production;
• Promote the development of appropriate local capacity for the manufacture, installation, maintenance and operation of basic renewable technologies such as bio-digesters solar systems and hydro turbines;
• Promote international co-operation on programmes focusing on renewable energy sources;
• Harness opportunities offered under clean development mechanism and other mechanisms to promote the development and exploitation of renewable energy sources;
• Promote the utilization of renewable energy sources for either power generation or transportation;
• Promote co-generation of electric power by sugar millers and sale of such electric power through national grid directly to the consumers; and,
• Promote the production and use of gasohol and biodiesel.

Core activities

To meet these policy objectives and address the demand for energy as a critical input for development, the following are the key activities:
•    Renewable energy policy formulation , development and review;
•    Promotion of solar water heaters, dryers and cookers;
•    Wind energy promotion and development;
•    Promotion of economically viable mini, micro and pico-hydropower sites;
•    Wood fuel policy analysis and development;
•    Promotion of appropriate wood fuel tree species;
•    Demonstration and training on on-farm wood fuel production;
•    Training of artisans and consumers in the construction and use of biogas digesters;
•    Development and promotion of bio-fuels;
•    Research and development of renewable energy technologies;

Key Functions

The functions of the Directorate entail:
(i)    Formulation of policies related to development, promotion and utilization of renewable energy technologies;
(ii)    Pre-feasibility and Feasibility studies on renewable energy;
(iii)    Development and promotion of renewable energy technologies;
(iv)    Off-Grid and decentralized electrification using renewable energy systems or hybrids;
(v)     Development and review of energy efficiency & conservation policies;
(vi)    Development and promotion of local manufacture / assembly of renewable energy, energy efficiency & conservation plant, equipment and appliances;
(vii)    Development and promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency & conservation technical & energy performance standards, energy rating labels and regulations;
(viii)    Harmonization of renewable energy, energy efficiency & conservation standards and policies across the East African Community partner states;
(ix)    Integration of gender and climate change into renewable energy policy; and
(x)    Promotion of private sector participation in renewable energy technology research, development and dissemination.

Departments roles and responsibilities

Alternative Energy Technologies (AET) Department
The Department is headed by a Senior Deputy Director, Renewable Energy and its functions entail:
(i)    Development, promotion and utilization of alternative energy technologies including Solar, wind, small hydropower and electricity cogeneration;
(ii)    Pre-feasibility and feasibility studies on alternative energy technologies;
(iii)    Preliminary designs and cost estimation;
(iv)    Development and promotion of off-grid and decentralized electrification systems and hybrids;
(v)    Development and promotion of local manufacturing capacity and assembly of plant, equipment and appliances;
(vi)    Research, development and dissemination;
(vii)    Promotion of private sector participation and initiatives; and
(viii)    Feed-in-tariff policy development, promotion and review.
The Division is further sub-divided into five (5) Sub-Divisions namely: Solar Energy Development, Wind Energy Development, Small Hydro Power Development, Electricity Cogeneration and Urban Solid and Liquid Waste Development (USLWD), each headed by a Deputy Director, Renewable Energy, JG“Q”.

Energy Efficiency & Conservation Department
The division is headed by a Senior Deputy Director of Renewable Energy, JG “R” and its functions entail:
(i)    Development, promotion and utilization of energy efficiency & conservation technologies;
(ii)    Development and promotion of technical and minimum energy performance standards, labels and regulations;
(iii)     Design, installation and maintenance of energy efficiency & conservation systems;
(iv)    Promotion of private sector participation in energy efficiency and conservation programmes; and
(v)    Establishment, maintenance and continuous improvement of ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System.

The Department is further subdivided into two Divisions each header by a Deputy Director, Renewable Energy, namely:
•    Energy Efficiency
•    Energy Conservation

Bio-Energy Development Department
The Department is headed by a Senior Deputy Director of Renewable Energy and has the following functions:
(i)    Research, development and promotion of biomass resources and technologies including woodfuel, agricultural residues, biogas, municipal waste, biodiesel, and bio-ethanol;
(ii)    Capacity building, technology infrastructure, dissemination and extension services through Energy Centers;
(iii)    Technical standards and regulations;
(iv)    Development and promotion of local manufacturing capacity for plant, equipment and appliances;
(v)    Promotion of private sector participation; and
(vi)    Mainstreaming and integration of gender and climate change.

The Department is further subdivided into three Divisions each headed by a Deputy Director, Renewable Energy, namely:
•    Woodfuel
•    Liquid fuel
•    Biogas,

Energy Centers

The sixteen (16) Energy Centers are each headed at the level of Principal Renewable Energy Assistant. The functions of the Energy Centres are:

(i)    Development of Renewable Energy (RE) & Energy Efficiency (EE) county energy plans;
(ii)    Training, demonstration and extension on RE & EE technologies;
(iii)    Research and trials on agro-forestry systems;
(iv)    Dissemination of RE & EE technologies;
(v)    Establishment and maintenance of database on renewable energy technologies in the country;
(vi)    Monitoring and evaluation of renewable energy projects in collaboration with the technical divisions of the directorate;
(vii)    Undertaking Research and development activities

As at December 2015, the Energy Centres were as follows:

Legal framework and policies that guide Renewable Energy Directorate

• Sessional Paper No. 4 of 2004
• Energy Act 2006
• Designation of Energy Users Gazettement
• The Draft Energy (Improved Biomass Cook stoves) Regulations
• The Energy (Solar Photovoltaic Systems) Regulations, 2012
• The Energy (Energy Management) Regulations, 2012
• The Energy (Solar Water Heating) Regulations, 2012.
• Regulatory Impact Statement – Draft Energy (Appliances Energy Performance)
• Draft Appliances Energy Performance Regulations

KEY PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES 2015/2016 FY