High power costs signal need to get cheap alternative

The biggest debate today is obviously over the high fuel costs. Other than the high taxes, the price of oil is greatly influenced by the fact we don't produce it and thus cannot dictate price.

Being an import product, the high dollar rate continues to counteract any effect on the fall in prices per barrel. The alternative debate is how we jump on the bandwagon of the global discussion to phase out fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

Recently, the European Union imposed a ban on fossil fuel cars in 2035. The most popular alternative to fossil fuels is electricity. In Kenya, hybrid-powered vehicles continue to gain popularity, followed by fully electric vehicles.

Further, many owners of fully fossil fuel-powered vehicles are opting for a modification that allows use of LPG gas - another alternative.

However, there are a whole range of alternatives yet to gain traction in Kenya. For example, there are about 15,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles in the US. It is a tiny number compared to other technologies, but it would be a start.

For most of Europe, the bigger goal is to fight climate change. For us, it is a double-edged sword. Both hybrid and electric vehicles reduce dependence on fossil fuels. As we fight climate change through reduced emissions, it helps reduce our import expenditures.

This has the additional effect of reducing pressure on the dollar and eventually curbing the fall of the shilling. For household energy costs, which have also increased by nearly 70 per cent, this is an opportunity to fully explore the potential of solar energy. The government must be an enabler in this by avoiding taxes and other bottlenecks in the value chain of solar acquisition. Even on an industrial scale, solar energy is gaining traction.

Similarly, there is great untapped potential in biogas fuel as an alternative to LPG gas, whose prices can sometimes be erratic. Biogas can actually do more than just provide energy for cooking. It can light up a home through special bulbs as well as power machines. Biogas can power brooders, ovens, feed choppers, etc. The resultant sludge from the waste is used as organic fertiliser. Biogas thus contributes a great deal to fighting climate change.

Though not considered an energy cost, cooking oil is one of those import products that cause a strain on the dollar and affect cost of living. However, this week, Trade CS Moses Kuria announced an exciting plan where Indonesia offered to assist Kenya set up oil-producing plants such as palm and sunflower.

This would be a game-changer. Kenya will save a big chunk of the over 1 billion dollars it uses annually to import cooking oil. The project will enable Kenyans in Nyanza, Western and Coast earn a living and revitalise the economies of those areas. We can think outside the box, or better yet, without the box.

The writer is anchor at Radio Maisha