
Plastic eating worms could help deal with the plastic waste menace
by
David Kariuki in Climate change, Environment, Urbanization, Waste

Scientists have discovered that the caterpillars residing in hives and that eat the wax from which bees make honey combs, could actually eat away polyethylene plastic!
Kenya’s Ban On Plastic Bags: Environmental Relief or a Driver of Unemployment?
by
Antony Ochieng in Climate change, Urbanization, Waste

Earlier this year Kenya imposed a ban on the production, importation, distribution and usage of the non-biodegradable plastic bags which are used in most industrial sectors for packaging of finished commodities and carrying consumables from retail outlets. The ban progressively takes effect in September this year, when consumers and manufacturers will be faced with the somewhat harsh reality of absence of plastic bags from the market, yet an alternative has not been offered.
The Oscars for Kenyan farmers
by
Bob Koigi in Agriculture and Food, Information technology, Work

The Kenya National Farmers Awards, an annual fete that seeks to celebrate the country’s finest in farming and now in its fourth year, is the latest stab by the country at enticing especially women and youth in farming, a constituency traditionally neglected in food production.
Kenya To Build East & Central Africa’s Largest Solar-Power Plant In Garissa
by
Antony Ochieng in Climate change, Energy

Kenya has arguably been making inroads as far as last-mile connectivity in many parts of the country is concerned. The government, through the Rural Electrification Authority which is the implementing agency in this project, has signed a $USD 135 Million solar energy pact with the China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Cooperation to put up a 55-megawatt plant in Garissa
Solar and IoT companies come together to extend off-grid power
by
David Kariuki in Climate change, Energy, Environment, Information technology

Smart Solar's remote monitoring of solar power systems is not new even to BBOXX, but collaboration with Aeris will mean these systems will use one network and so can be used globally without the need for configuring local networks. It lowers supply-chain costs and deployment time. It means these systems can also be used anywhere in the world.
First Eco Medical Village to Support Medical Tourism
by
Sally Keys

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West Africa's largest healthcare project has been launched in Accra, Ghana. The Eco Medical Village is set to become a 1,100-bed sub-regional project, providing specialized medical centers across 40 acres. Offering African's an alternative to traveling to India, Europe or the US for their healthcare needs, it also keeps this valuable investment within West Africa.
Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018
by
Angela McClowry

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The United Nations Environment Programme in collaboration with Bloomberg New Energy Finance released their annual Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018. The report focuses on investment in renewable power and fuels - wind, solar, biomass and waste, biofuels, geothermal and marine projects, and small hydro-electric dams. The rise of solar power has dominated renewable energy investment in 2017, more than that new coal, gas and nuclear plants put together.
Important infrastructure projects in Vietnam look to make the country more efficient
by
Hanna Johnson

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One of the most exciting ventures a country and its cities can undergo is that of modernizing and redeveloping its buildings. The progress made is almost always positive, and literally can give cities a new face. Major infrastructure projects in Vietnam are not so slowly transforming the city for the better, upgrading various aspects ranging from transportation to water treatment and infrastructure.
Water conservation technology helps fight food insecurity in Northern Ghana
by
James Karuga

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In Northern Upper East Ghana, a water conservation technology is enabling about 400 smallholder farmers from 10 communities to farm in dry seasons. As a result they are now getting at least two crop seasons annually as opposed to one, after implementing the PAVE irrigation Technology which harvests flood and rain water, and stores it in underground aquifers where it lasts for up to 180 days.
Pico-hydro a new source of energy in Rwanda
by
Boris Bahire Kabeja

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In Rwanda, a ‘Pico-hydro’ refers to a power system with a capacity less than 50kW. Their advantage over other power systems is their cost-effectiveness and simplicity, and come in different designs, planning and installation processes. It is an economical source of power that has proven useful in delivering clean energy to some of the world’s poorest and most remote places.
Solar milling machine to ease grinding systems
by
Boris Bahire Kabeja

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Whether they are consumed as grains or flour they are always products in high demand in Africa - these being cereals such maize, sorghum, millet and wheat. One of the issues with these widely consumed crops is when people want to grind them and consume them as flour, with most remote areas lacking access to electricity and therefore use expensive fossil fuel to run milling machines.
Earthen floors can really make it in Rwanda!
by
Boris Bahire Kabeja

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Better housing is one of the key indicators of the economic development, but most developing countries still have a challenge to secure clean homes for their habitants. Dirt floors are often responsible up to 80 percent of diseases. In most cases, parasites live in soil in form of feces and bacteria that can be contagious by either absorption or a simple contact. EarthEnable has introduced a solution to all those problems.
Croton plant offers some hope for biofuel enthusiasts
by
David Kariuki

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The Croton tree, which is commonly known as Mukinduri in Eastern and Central part of Kenya, is now a good known source of biofuels and that is being practiced. It grows in a challenging environment and unlike jatropha and palm, it won't bring food and fuel competition. It has no chemical additives and burns cleaner than traditional diesel fuel, with no sulfuric content. It can save our environment from carbon emissions and help in better land usage.
Using lean data to improve the solar power sector
by
David Kariuki

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Many companies use traditional methods to measure the impact of solar power investments such as quoting the many dollars invested, number of people using their kits and areas covered by their product, which are inadequate tools for measuring social impact for solar power investments if we have to get it right. Traditional approaches of gathering data are not only expensive, take time to give results and complicated to use, but are also not helpful in terms of boosting solar power funding. The lean data approach proposed by Acumen could, not only bridge solar power funding gaps in developing worlds, but will also help companies to understand emerging markets.
Emerging Economies Leading the Way in Off Grid Home Energy
by
Sally Keys

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Research undertaken by Greentech Media (GTM) predicts that over the next five years, the global solar market will demonstrate a cumulative average growth rate of around 8%, with emerging economies including India and Latin America leading the progress.