KIRDI's mission is to undertake industrial research and development and disseminate findings that will have a positive impact on national development. KIRDI’s mandate is to carry out research and development in Industrial and Allied Technology including: -Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Power Resources, Textile Technology, Mining, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Technologies, Food Technology, Ceramics and Clay Technology.
Energy is core to KIRDI's activities in promoting industrial growth and national development. We are carrently carrying several renewable energy projects viewed to be environmentally and socially sustaibale. These includes Minihydro project in western Kenya, Municipal biogas generation plants in three municipalities and promotion of biofuels technologies. We are in the last phase of a baseline survey on establishing an integrated community and industrial mini-hydro electricity projects in western Kenya region.
Contact Information
We target a popullation of 10,000 households for implimentation of 10 mini-hydro projects in western Kenya. The project is to piloted in Burreti District of Kenya.
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
Increase in popullation and deforestation are key forces to the push factor in the need for alternative energy options whereas health and high energy billing are the pull factors. These factors have made it easy for the penetration of several clean energy technologies with little social barriers. The econonic strain particularly has promoted the need for biogas plants in Kenya which was initially viewed as an unclean source of energy.
KIRDI through joint partnership and consumer driven projects has had easy access to market for the various technologies.
KIRDI is developed a small scale cyclone combuster to utilise agricultural solid wastes in heating and drying. The combustor is targeting small cortage industries for drying agricultural produce such as maize, rice, millet etc. The technology is yet to be tested and commissioned before transfer to the communities with bulk agricultural waste generation like rice farmers.
KIRDI has developed a good participatory monitoring and evaluation structure for all the technologies disseminated, however as energy is a new division in the institute, we have not yet monitored energy related projects.
Relevant Publications or Studies
None noted
Our Contribution to the Partnership
KIRDI is basicaly a research institution, its however interested in energy and peoples health and well being due to the fundemental basic need of proper health and good grounds for industrial technological transfer. We are developing an energy laboratory to support energy technologies development, testing and starndardisation. KIRDI is hence developing a multi-stakeholders partnership in developing new and renewable energy technologies.
