Dar is set for Ruhudji hydropower station

[Mwikimbi]

nawahakikishieni with public priivate partinership mtasikia habari yake, na tena wameanza kuishirikisha tanesco, manake huo mradi ukimalika tu, tanesco ili waweze kununua umeme pale ni lazima kupandisha gharama za umeme.

 

[Rev. Kishoka]

Kweli? Wakati mheshimiwa anataka kuchimba mafuta mpaka mlangoni? Mchina mwaka jana kafungua bwawa la tatu kwa ukubwa duniani katika kuzalisha umeme. na la pili pia liko kwake na karibia kuanza kazi.

Ni ukweli tunahitaji kutanua vyanzo vyetu vya nishati na sio kutegemea sana mabwawa. Lakini study zinaonyesha "...the trend in both Canada and the United States has been to micro hydro because it has negligible environmental impacts and opens up many more locations for power generation...".

Kama tuna maporomoko tuyatumie vizuri. Tatizo hapa ni namna gani ya kufanya hii miradi iwe ya faida kwa kizazi chetu na cha baadae. Hapo mimi ndio naona lipo tatizo.

View attachment 2207
Tukumbuke na maji (hydro) ni kati ya renewable source of energy.

Kutikisika kwa uchumi wa dunia kutokana na matumizi ya mafuta, mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ambayo yamesababisha ama kutokuwepo kwa mvua za kutosha au nyingi kupita kias, ndiko kunakofanya watu wafanye tathmini ya kutafuta source alternative za nishati.

Kwa nchi masikini kama Tanzania, ni muhimu tukiwa mstari wa mbele kwenye hii "green energy revolution innitiative" kwa kuwa tuna maeneo makubwa sana ambayo yatanufaika na kutupunguzia gharama.

Just imagine kama waki-demonopolize Tanesco na kuruhusu local authority kujitegemea kwa nishati.

Umeme wa Kidatu na Mtera unapita Dodoma, Singida, Tabora, Shinyanga na hautoshelezi wala kufikia wananchi katika vijiji hata mail tatu nje ya makao makuu ya mkoa au wilaya.

Sasa kwanini sisi ambao tunataka maendeleo na nishati ya umeme ndio kitu kikubwa kutusaidia tusitumie nguvu zetu kutumia njia rahisi za kuzalisha umeme na zenye gharama nafuu?

Kuna mtu kauliza kwa nini tusinunue mitambo ya kutumia gesi kumi ili tuwe na umeme wa kutosha na kuachana na mabwawa ambayo yametushinda kutokana na kushindwa kuyatunza, mvua ndogo kutokana na ukame ambao unatokana na kukatwa kwa miti ovyo?

Sikatai it is great to have hydropower lakin experience yetu ya Mtera, Kidatu na Nyumba ya Mungu zinatuonyesha kuwa hatuna uwezo wa kutunza hayo mabwawa yakishajengwa na ni kutokana na kuharibika kwa mabwawa au kupungua maji kulikotupeleka kukimbilia umeme wa ziada na dharura ambao umehujumu uchumi wa nchi kama IPTL na Richmond!

 

[Fundi Mchundo]

Wakuu,

Hii Ruhudji ni wapi...

The Kilombero Valley Floodplain is a very large natural wetland, which is flooded in the wet season (water depth then a few meters) and with the majority of the plain drying up in the wet season . The catchment area is huge and covers the Udzungwa Mountains, Mahenge Mountains and mountain ranges in Iringa and Mbeya Region.

The following description has been modified from Hughes & Hughes (1992) . From south the Ruhudji River winds eastward, losing height quite rapidly, to the head of the great floodplain of the Kilombero Valley . The floodplain occupies the flat floor of the Kilombero Valley at 210-250 m .a .s .l. The valley is oriented south-west north-east, between densely forested escarpments in the Udzungwa Mountains, which raise to 2576 m .a .s.l. (7°47'S, 36 °36'E) on the north-western side and the Mahenge Mountains on the southern side (8 °45'S, 36°39'E) .

The Ruhudji receives several important tributaries and then divides on the floodplain into a number of channels, which produce a myriad network in the central part of the floodplain . Other affluents draining the mountains on
opposing sides of the valley join the network so that in the central part there are ten major channels flowing roughly in parallel . A zone of permanent swamps, 45 km long, extend up to 4 km away from the west bank of the Kihansi River . However, this river was dammed in its upstream ranges above the Kihansi Gorge about ten years ago for generating hydro-electrical power . The impact on the swamp is not known . Otherwise permanent swamps are closely restricted to the vicinity of the channels and some lagoons except a large Papyrus swamp continuous with a swamp forest located south of the village of Mofu bearing the name : Kibasira Swamp. This swamp is about 50 km 2 (8°19S', 36 °19'E) . The southern central parts of the floodplain descend 40 meters over a distance of 210 km, i .e . with a mean gradient of 1 :5250 . At Ifakara the valley narrows in to be about 4 km wide and the rivers are united in one main stream the Kilombero River . East of Ifakara this main stream flows through a delta of oxbow lakes and is joined on its left bank by the Msolwa River . This stream comes from the high escarpment of the Udzungwas and transverses the northern part of the floodplain, skirting another zone of permanent swampland to the west. From the point of confluence the Kilombero River swings sharply southeast and leaves the floodplain (and the Ramsar Site) on the border of the Selous Game Reserve . The Kilombero River then continuous for 65 km to confluence with the Luwegu River below which point it is referred to as the Rufji . Eventually, the Rufiji River runs into the Indian Ocean forming the Rufiji River Delta at the outlet . This Delta comprises important sea grass, coral reef and the largest mangrove forest in East Africa .

ref: http://www.wetlands.org/reports/ris/1TZ003enb.pdf

Ruhudji uko kusini na unachangia kwenye mto Kihansi na hatimaye Rufiji. Athari za kimazingira huko Ruaha, Selous na Rufiji Delta inawezekana zikawa kubwa sana.

Mimi nadhani tungeachana na huu mradi na tuwekeze kwenye :

a) kuongeza efficiency katika matumizi yetu ya umeme. Ni kiasi kikubwa mno cha umeme kinachopotea kabla ya kumfikia mteja (transmission losses etc). Vile vile vyombo vyetu vinavyotumia umeme sio efficient, kuanzia balbu, mafriji mabovu, mitambo iliyochakaa n.k.

b)tuwekeze katika alternative sources za umeme kama hizo za upepo, mabaki ya miwa, mawimbi, maporomoko mafupi, gesi asilia, chemchem za moto n.k. Hizi zinaweza kuwa ndogo na nyingi karibu na watumiaji. Surplus ndiyo ipelekwe kwenye national grid. Wingi huu utatupunguzia hatari ya kuathirika ikiwa kimoja kikipata matatizo.

Miradi kama hii itatuharibia mazingira na gharama yake ( sio kipesa tuu) ni kubwa mno na hasa tukiangalia wakati huu wa mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa.

Tuanze kujionea huruma sisi na vizazi vitakavyotufuata!

 

[Mkora]

Tanesco na Wizara ina wahandisi wazuri ambao nina uhakika wana uwezo wa kufikiri zaidi yetu sisi wa kuropoka kwenye mitandao.

Kuzalisha MW 358 kwa kutumia upepo na uweze kuhifadhi huo umeme ambao unapatikana kipindi fulani alafu kipindi fulani unapungua sio jambo rahisi.

Kuongeee tu.... lakini tujue kwamba kuna wenzetu wanafanya hizi kazi wako gado zaidi yetu...

Mkuu Heshima mbele, kama wan uwezo wa kufikiri bila kuburuzwa mbona hakuna hata mmoja aliyejiuzuru
Hao wahandisi si ndio hao hao walikuwepo kweny masakata yote ya richmond, na alsthom mwanza

 

[Njowepo]

Sina imani na ilo kabisa,wtz hawa wanaoteseka kwa izi escalating elect price ipo siku kitaelweka

 

[Mzeeba]

Kutikisika kwa uchumi wa dunia kutokana na matumizi ya mafuta, mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ambayo yamesababisha ama kutokuwepo kwa mvua za kutosha au nyingi kupita kias, ndiko kunakofanya watu wafanye tathmini ya kutafuta source alternative za nishati.

Kwa nchi masikini kama Tanzania, ni muhimu tukiwa mstari wa mbele kwenye hii "green energy revolution innitiative" kwa kuwa tuna maeneo makubwa sana ambayo yatanufaika na kutupunguzia gharama.

Just imagine kama waki-demonopolize Tanesco na kuruhusu local authority kujitegemea kwa nishati.

Umeme wa Kidatu na Mtera unapita Dodoma, Singida, Tabora, Shinyanga na hautoshelezi wala kufikia wananchi katika vijiji hata mail tatu nje ya makao makuu ya mkoa au wilaya.

Sasa kwanini sisi ambao tunataka maendeleo na nishati ya umeme ndio kitu kikubwa kutusaidia tusitumie nguvu zetu kutumia njia rahisi za kuzalisha umeme na zenye gharama nafuu?

Kuna mtu kauliza kwa nini tusinunue mitambo ya kutumia gesi kumi ili tuwe na umeme wa kutosha na kuachana na mabwawa ambayo yametushinda kutokana na kushindwa kuyatunza, mvua ndogo kutokana na ukame ambao unatokana na kukatwa kwa miti ovyo?

Sikatai it is great to have hydropower lakin experience yetu ya Mtera, Kidatu na Nyumba ya Mungu zinatuonyesha kuwa hatuna uwezo wa kutunza hayo mabwawa yakishajengwa na ni kutokana na kuharibika kwa mabwawa au kupungua maji kulikotupeleka kukimbilia umeme wa ziada na dharura ambao umehujumu uchumi wa nchi kama IPTL na Richmond!

Nakubaliana na wewe kwamba, tunatakiwa kuangalia namna na njie nyingine hasa kuelekea katika green energy. Hili naungana na wewe kabisa.

Pili naungana na wewe katika ukiritimba wa Tanesco kuzalisha umeme. Hio ya miji na vijiji kutafuta njia mbadala za kujipatia umeme wake bila kuingizwa gridi ya taifa ni a great Idea. Ambayo ikifanyiwa kazi italeta mabadiliko makubwa katika uchumi wa sehemu husika, in-terms of jobs creation na kufanya watu waspecialize kwenye hii sekta. yaani multiplier effects zake ni kubwa sana.

sasa hilo nililopigia mstari ndio naona bado hujalitolea jibu. Kwani kama tatizo katika hydro power ni kutokuwa na uwezo wa kutunza tukisha jenga miradi hio, je hili litakwisha tukienda huko kwingine? Kwa vyovyote vile hata kabla ya kuangalia vyanzo vingine hili la uwezo wa kutunza na kuendesha kwa faida ni muhimu sana kuangaliwa. Je ni utaalamu hatuna? au ni ufisadi tu?

Maana nafikiria tukiweza tatua hili basi na huko kwingine tunakotaka kwenda hatutarudia makosa.

 

[Koba]

Huu ni wizi mkubwa sana, Richmond Saga.

Kwa nini wasinunue Turbine 20 za MW 100 kila moja tungeweza kupata MW 2000 (ELFU MBILI) badala ya MW 358. Na gharama ya MW 100 ni sawa na $40 million. ambazo zinatumia gesi asilia ya hapa Tanzania. Pia tungeweza kuuza umeme mwingi sana nje na kurudisha gharama zetu.

Majizi wakubwa hawa.

......tunaomba kasheshe na wahandisi wake makini waje hapa wajibu hilo swali la kokolo,gas turbine ni cheap na gas yetu wenyewe kibao mpaka hatuwezi kuitumia lakini sijui mambo kama haya hawafikirii...10% ni sumu wakuu,lakini at the end of the day lazima focus yetu iende kwenye wind & solar power maana ndio the next frontier in energy na ndio itatuokoa kwenye haya matatizo ya nishati chanzo number one wa umaskini na ufukara wetu

 

[Koba]

....msisahau sababu kubwa ya kuyumba kwa umeme Tanzania ni monopoly ya Tanesco,lazima sheria za umeme TZ zibadilike la sivyo tusitegemee chochote kubadilika ....bei mbaya ya umeme na ukosefu utaendelea as long as Tanesco itaendelea kuwa ni monopoly

 

[Masatu]

......tunaomba kasheshe na wahandisi wake makini waje hapa wajibu hilo swali la kokolo,gas turbine ni cheap na gas yetu wenyewe kibao mpaka hatuwezi kuitumia lakini sijui mambo kama haya hawafikirii...10% ni sumu wakuu,lakini at the end of the day lazima focus yetu iende kwenye wind & solar power maana ndio the next frontier in energy na ndio itatuokoa kwenye haya matatizo ya nishati chanzo number one wa umaskini na ufukara wetu

Ukiipitia ripoti ya Mwakyembe on Richmond utakubali anachosema Kasheshe ni sahihi kabisa. Wataalam wa Tanesco waliikataa Richmond kabisa lakini masinikizo ya wakubwa (you should know who by now) ndio yaliyopelekea mambo kwenda mrama.

Huko wizarani kuna malundo ya maripoti kuhusu nishati m-badala lakini hakuna mtekelezaji

 

[Koba]

Ukiiitia rioti ya Mwakyembe on Richmond utakubali anachosema Kasheshe ni sahihi kabisa. Wataalam wa Tanesco waliikataa Richmond kabisa lakini masinikizo ya wakubwa (you should know who by now) ndio yaliyopelekea mambo kwenda mrama.

Huko wizarani kuna malundo ya maripoti kuhusu nishati m-badala lakini hakuna mtekelezaji

....richmond ni ya juzi tuu,matatizo ya umeme ni ya kila siku hata kabla kina Lowassa na miradi yote ni fake tuu,cha ajabu mpaka leo bado tunategemea mtambo wa mkoloni kutupatia umeme...hata maji Dar ni mkoloni wenyewe tumeshindwa kujisaidia na sijui ingekuwaje kama mkoloni asingejenga hiyo mitambo labda Dar watu still wangekuwa wanalalamika bei mbaya ya kuni...by the way nimecheka sana signature yako ya mkulima kula mbegu!

 

[Kudi Shauri]

Nafikiri tungefanya research kwanza kabla ya kutoa contribution. Mtu anayefikiria kuwa mahitaji ya Tanzania ya umeme yanaweza kuwa satisfied kwa kutumia solar and wind power naamini haelewi anachosema. While solar and wind power can contribute small amounts of power at different times of the day to the power grid they cannot however be the solution- hata huko scandinavia au uingereza ambako wana uwezo wa kitechnologia mkubwa sana kuliko sisi hili haliwezekani.

Sasa hivi nafikiri TZ tuna generate a total of about 500MW toka hydro [Kidatu;Mtera; Kihansi; Pangani na Nyumba ya Mungu]. Toka gas nafikiri capacity yetu sasa imefikia au itafikia by end of 2008 to 400 MW. Linganisha hii na Uganda Nile 250MW wanaongeza hili kwa kujenga Bujagali yenye another 250MW; Zambia & Zimbabwe huko Kariba about 700 MW.

Kwa hiyo nafikiri hio programme ya Ruhudji ni timely provided inatekelezwa bila ufisadi. Mradi wenyewe unaelekea ni mkubwa at over 380 MW compared to Kidatu about 100MW; Mtera 80MW; and Kihansi 180 MW. Swala kwangu ni sijui haya maporomko ya Ruhudji yapo mto gani na Mkoa gani? Kuna mwana JF anayeweza kunielimisha kwa hili - samahani nimekuwa nje ya Bongo kwa muda sasa.

 

[Rev. Kishoka]

Hivi mnajua ni kwa nini Solar na Wind Power zimechukua muda kukubalika katika nchi zilizoendelea? It is not about science, but politics, lobbying and dirty games through Capitalism.

Ni sawa na madawa ya Ukimwi, wanabana kutoa techknowhow kwa ajili ya kulinda faida.

Leo hii Marekani, makampuni ya mafuta yanatoa hongo kwa Serikali na Bunge kuzuia miswaada ya kuleta nishati safi inayopunguza carbon au kupunguza dependency ya mafuta. hata kuongeza kwa fuel efficieny ya magari imechukua muda na ni hili wimbi la kuongezeka kwa bei za mafuta mpaka Marekani tukaanza kununua chakula kwa resheni, ndipo Wanasiasa wa Marekani wamekubali msukumo kuleta energy efficient policies kwa wanotengeneza magari. Lakini this is after Exxon mobile kutangaza faida marudufu!

Leo hii third world mkianza kutumia nishati ya Jua na Umeme ambayo ni rahisi baada ya ile initial cost, woga wa nchi za magharibi ni kuwa Mnaoitwa Masikini mtaanza kujiendeleza na mtakuwa tishio!

Hivyo IMF, WB wataendelea kutushinikiza tujenge mitambo ambayo tutakimbila kwao kuomba misaada ya kutengeneza na kununua mitambo mipya huku tukiendelea kukopa kununua mafuta na mitambo!

 

[Koba]

Hivi mnajua ni kwa nini Solar na Wind Power zimechukua muda kukubalika katika nchi zilizoendelea? It is not about science, but politics, lobbying and dirty games through Capitalism.

Ni sawa na madawa ya Ukimwi, wanabana kutoa techknowhow kwa ajili ya kulinda faida.

Leo hii Marekani, makampuni ya mafuta yanatoa hongo kwa Serikali na Bunge kuzuia miswaada ya kuleta nishati safi inayopunguza carbon au kupunguza dependency ya mafuta. hata kuongeza kwa fuel efficieny ya magari imechukua muda na ni hili wimbi la kuongezeka kwa bei za mafuta mpaka Marekani tukaanza kununua chakula kwa resheni, ndipo Wanasiasa wa Marekani wamekubali msukumo kuleta energy efficient policies kwa wanotengeneza magari. Lakini this is after Exxon mobile kutangaza faida marudufu!

Leo hii third world mkianza kutumia nishati ya Jua na Umeme ambayo ni rahisi baada ya ile initial cost, woga wa nchi za magharibi ni kuwa Mnaoitwa Masikini mtaanza kujiendeleza na mtakuwa tishio!

Hivyo IMF, WB wataendelea kutushinikiza tujenge mitambo ambayo tutakimbila kwao kuomba misaada ya kutengeneza na kununua mitambo mipya huku tukiendelea kukopa kununua mafuta na mitambo!

....huo ndio umafia wa capitalism,ni kweli technology ipo lakini bureaucracy and greedy shit ndio zinarudisha nyuma kila kitu,Exxon wanavuna record profit in history huku wakikuambia mafuta bei mbaya kwa sababu ya China na india...upuzi mtupu na greedy yao ndio inapelekea Detroit kifo sasa maana Japanese dont play na sitashangaa kwenye umeme maana Chinese sasa nasikia wanamwaga billions kwenye wind & solar na wamekuja na new technology ambayo itafanya nyingine zote obsolete,Denmark & germany sasa 20% ya umeme wao ni wind na target ni 50% na hiyo 20% ni maelfu ya MW sasa TZ ambao mahitaji yetu hayafiki hata 1000MW sijui kwa nini tushindwe na jua letu la mwaka mzima...naona ni kukosa viongozi wenye akili tuu na vision la sivyo leo ukosefu wa umeme ungekuwa ni History na tungejitosheleza na kusave petrodollar tunayommwagia mwarabu na exxon mobile,siamini mpaka sasa tuna viongozi bado wanainvest kwenye majenereta ya umeme wa mafuta na hydro huku kuna alternative kama solar na wind ambazo kwa sasa technology yake ni more efficiency & good economy kuliko hizo nyingine...matatizo mengine tunajitakia tuu na viongozi vilaza wasio na vision yeyote,Richmond ilinionyesha jinsi tulivyo na vilaza na hakuna mtu mwenye akili anaweza amini kama ile deal/investment ilifanywa na watu wenye akili timamu

 

[Koba]

Nafikiri tungefanya research kwanza kabla ya kutoa contribution. Mtu anayefikiria kuwa mahitaji ya Tanzania ya umeme yanaweza kuwa satisfied kwa kutumia solar and wind power naamini haelewi anachosema. While solar and wind power can contribute small amounts of power at different times of the day to the power grid they cannot however be the solution- hata huko scandinavia au uingereza ambako wana uwezo wa kitechnologia mkubwa sana kuliko sisi hili haliwezekani.

Sasa hivi nafikiri TZ tuna generate a total of about 500MW toka hydro [Kidatu;Mtera; Kihansi; Pangani na Nyumba ya Mungu]. Toka gas nafikiri capacity yetu sasa imefikia au itafikia by end of 2008 to 400 MW. Linganisha hii na Uganda Nile 250MW wanaongeza hili kwa kujenga Bujagali yenye another 250MW; Zambia & Zimbabwe huko Kariba about 700 MW.

Kwa hiyo nafikiri hio programme ya Ruhudji ni timely provided inatekelezwa bila ufisadi. Mradi wenyewe unaelekea ni mkubwa at over 380 MW compared to Kidatu about 100MW; Mtera 80MW; and Kihansi 180 MW. Swala kwangu ni sijui haya maporomko ya Ruhudji yapo mto gani na Mkoa gani? Kuna mwana JF anayeweza kunielimisha kwa hili - samahani nimekuwa nje ya Bongo kwa muda sasa.

...nafikiri wewe ndio una mengi ya kujifunza na seems huna idea wind & solar tech imefika wapi,wall street sasa wanamwaga pesa kwenye hizo investment kama hawana akili nzuri,southern US sasa wanapaita Saudi Arabia of wind na massive investment ndio zinaingia,jaribu kusafiri katiak 35W kama unaelekea south from North utaona jinsi wind farms zinavyonyanyuka kila siku...technology ya wind power sasa ni more efficient kuliko hydro & other tech na inakuwa cheap kila siku

 

[Rev. Kishoka]

Makala nzuri kuhusu renewable energy kutoka Daily News!

Embracing renewable sources of energy over traditional ones

GASIRIGWA SENGIYUMVA

Daily News; Wednesday,September 03, 2008 @00:06[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]

Technologically - advanced societies have become increasingly dependent on external energy sources for transportation, production of goods and the delivery of energy-related services. Energy allows people, in general, to live under otherwise unfavourable climatic conditions through the use of heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning systems.

In areas that are still technologically backward, such as in most developing countries, the situation is different. Though developing countries also use energy sources for transportation and production in manufacturing industries, they have not managed to help improve the lives of the people in certain environments.

For example, most societies, Tanzania inclusive, still use firewood and charcoal for their domestic purposes such as cooking, lightning and heating. This has proved detrimental, not only to their health, but to their surroundings. The level of use of external energy sources differs across societies, as do the climate, convenience, traffic congestion and pollution, production and greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar energy itself is the result of the sun’s nuclear fusion. According to scientists, geothermal power from hot, hardened rock above the magma of the earth’s core, is the result of the accumulation of radioactive materials during the formation of Earth which was the by-product of a previous supernova event. Energy development is the on-going effort to provide sufficient primary energy sources and secondary energy forms to power the world economy.

It involves both installation of established technologies, research and development of new energy-related technologies. Major considerations in energy planning include cost, impact on air pollution and whether or not the source is renewable. Renewable energy is sustainable in its production. The available supply will not be diminished for the foreseeable future.

Sustainability also refers to the ability of the environment to cope with waste products, especially air pollution. Sources which have no direct waste products (such as wind, solar and hydropower) are seen as ideal in this regard. Fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal and natural gas are not renewable. For example, the timing of world-wide peak oil production is being actively debated, but it has already happened in some countries.

Fossil fuels also make up the bulk of the world's current primary energy sources. With global demand for energy growing, the need to adopt alternative energy sources is also growing. Fossil fuels are also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, leading to concerns about global warming if consumption is not reduced.

Global environmental sources say petroleum-powered vehicles are very inefficient. Only about 15 per cent of the energy from the fuel they consume is converted into useful motion. The rest of the fuel-source energy is inefficiently expended as waste heat. The heat and gaseous pollution emissions harm our environment. The inefficient atmospheric combustion (burning) of fossil fuels in vehicles, buildings and power plants contributes to urban heat islands.

The combustion of fossil fuels leads to the release of pollution into the atmosphere. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a typical coal plant produces about 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. This could be the primary cause of global warming. Energy conservation is an alternative process to energy development. It reduces the demand for energy by using it more efficiently.

That is why experts push for renewable energy, also known as alternative sources energy. It is the alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear power. Biomass, bio-fuels, and vegetable oil are some of the examples. Biomass production involves using garbage or other renewable resources such as corn or other vegetation to generate electricity. When garbage decomposes, the methane produced is captured in pipes and later burnt to produce electricity.

Vegetation and wood can be burnt directly to generate energy, like fossil fuels or processed to form alcohol. Its production can be used to burn organic waste products resulting from agriculture. This type of recycling encourages the philosophy that nothing on Earth should be wasted. The result is less demand on the Earth's resources and a higher capacity for Earth because non-renewable fossil fuels are not consumed.

It is abundant on Earth and is generally renewable. In theory, we will never run out of organic waste products as fuel, because we are continuously producing them. In addition, biomass is found throughout the world, a fact that should alleviate energy pressures in third world nations. Vegetable oil is generated from sunlight and CO2 by plants.

It is safer to use and store than gasoline or diesel as it has a higher flash point. Straight vegetable oil works in diesel engines if it is heated first. Vegetable oil can also be processed to make bio diesel, which burns like normal diesel. Alcohols and other fuels produced by these alternative methods are clean burning and are feasible replacements to fossil fuels. Another renewable resource is solar power.

The wise say, “As long as the Sun exists, its energy will reach Earth.” This involves using solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity, using sunlight hitting solar thermal panels to convert sunlight to heat water or air, using sunlight hitting a parabolic mirror to heat water (producing steam) or using sunlight entering windows for passive solar heating of a building. It would be advantageous to place solar panels in the regions of highest solar radiation.

Solar power generation releases no water or air pollution, because there is no combustion of fuels. In sunny countries, solar power can be used in remote locations, like a wind turbine. This way, isolated places can receive electricity, when there is no way to connect to the power lines from a plant. Solar energy can be used very efficiently for heating (solar ovens, solar water and home heaters) and day lighting. Coincidentally, solar energy is abundant in regions that have the largest number of people living off grid in developing regions of Africa and in our country in particular.

Hence cheap solar, when available, opens the opportunity to enhance global electricity access considerably and possibly in a relatively short time period Increased levels of human comfort generally induce increased dependence on external energy sources, although the application of energy efficiency and conservation approaches allows a certain degree of mitigation of the dependence. Wise energy use therefore embodies the idea of balancing human comfort with reasonable energy consumption levels, by researching and implementing effective and sustainable energy harvesting and utilization measures. [/FONT]

 

[Kudi Shauri]

Nafikiri ili debate juu ya hii issue ikamilike inabidi tu some hii article ambayo imeappear kwenye international press this week: :

09/05/2008

GREEN GOLD RUSH: Africa Becoming a Biofuel Battleground

By Horand Knaup

Western companies are pushing to acquire vast stretches of African land to meet the world's biofuel needs. Local farmers and governments are being showered with promises. But is this just another form of economic colonialism?

Everything will turn out alright. Correction: everything is going to get better. There will be new roads, a new school, a pharmacy, even a proper water supply. Most of all, there will be jobs -- 5,000, at the very least. "If there are jobs for us, then it's a good thing," says Juma Njagu, 26, who hopes to be able to leave his meager existence as a planter and charburner behind soon.

Njagu lives in Mtamba, a village of about 1,100 souls in Tanzania's Kisarawe district, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south-west of Dar es Salaam, the capital and largest city. Mtamba, accessible by dirt road, is a place where people scrape by on a bit of farming, a bit of fishing and the production of charcoal. There isn't much else in Mtamba.

That could change if the British firm Sun Biofuels goes ahead with plans to produce biodiesel fuel from "Jatropha curcas," an energy plant with a high oil content, which it hopes to plant on Kisarawe's farmland.

The Tanzanian government has granted the British firm the use of 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) of sparsely populated farmland, or enough land to cover about 12,000 soccer fields, for a period of 99 years -- free of charge. In return, the company will invest about $20 million (€13 million) to build roads and schools, bringing a modicum of prosperity to the region.

Sun Biofuels is not alone. In fact, half a dozen other companies from the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden, Japan, Canada and Germany have already sent their scouts to Tanzania. Prokon, a German company known primarily for its wind turbines, has already begun growing jatropha curcas on a large scale. It expects to have 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) -- an area about the size of Luxembourg -- under cultivation throughout Tanzania soon.

A gold rush mentality has taken hold -- not just in East Africa but across the entire continent. In Ghana, the Norwegian firm Biofuel Africa has secured farming rights for 38,000 hectares (93,860 acres), and Sun Biofuels is also doing business in Ethiopia and Mozambique.

Kavango BioEnergy, a British company, plans to invest millions of euros in northern Namibia. Western companies are turning up in Malawi and Zambia, where they plan to produce diesel fuel and ethanol from jatropha curcas, palm oil or sugar cane. Foreign investors have their eye on 11 million hectares (27 million acres) in Mozambique -- more than one-seventh of the country's total area -- for growing energy plants. The government in Ethiopia has even made 24 million hectares (59 million acres) available.

The consequences of this boom are dramatic. Experts agree that the worldwide push to grow energy plants is on overwhelming factor in the global explosion of food prices. According to one study by the World Bank, as much as 75 percent of the increase could be attributable to this change in the types of crops being farmed. Many farmers in industrialized countries are more than happy to accept government subsidies for corn or rapeseed, but this comes at the cost of the cultivation of wheat, potatoes and legumes.

Oil plants are not competing with intensively farmed land in Africa -- yet. Investors argue that the land they are using is uncultivated or underused. But rising food prices and population growth will also increase pressure in the southern hemisphere to convert unused land to agricultural use.
DER SPIEGEL

Biofuels are profitable when oil is expensive.

For investors, growing energy plants in Africa is highly profitable. Crude oil will become scarce in the foreseeable future, so that easy-to-produce biofuel comes at just the right time. At an estimated annual yield of 2,500 liters per hectare, Sun Biofuels is in it for the long haul in Tanzania. Production becomes profitable as soon as the price of a barrel of crude oil exceeds $100 (€69) on the world market. A barrel currently goes for just over $100.

Africa offers oil farmers virtually ideal conditions for their purposes: underused land in many places, low land prices, ownership that is often unclear and, most of all, regimes capable of being influenced.

The land is unusable, says the Ethiopian energy and mining minister in Addis Ababa, the country's capital. "It's just marginal land," say officials at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Dar es Salaam. "The whole thing is nothing but positive," says the district administrator of Kisarawe, who is responsible for the Sun Biofuels project. "We have convinced the people." In his rudimentary office, which lacks both a computer and a copy machine, he leafs through the planning documents.

In none of these places are the needs of local residents taken into account. In Ghana, BioFuel Africa wrested away land clearing and usage rights from a village chief who could neither read nor write. The man gave his consent with his thumbprint. The weekly newspaper Public Agenda felt reminded of the "darkest days of colonialism." The Ghanaian environmental protection agency eventually put a stop to the clear-cutting, but only after 2,600 hectares (6,422 acres) of forest had been cut down.

In Tanzania, while there are hopes, there is also plenty of reason to be skeptical about promises that everything will improve. In April 2006, Sun Biofuels claimed that it had received formal approval for cultivation from 10 of the 11 affected villages. At that point, however, several communities were not even aware of the plans, while others had attached conditions to their consent. A village head complained, in writing, to the district administration that Sun Biofuels had cleared and marked off land without even contacting the village elders.

In Dar es Salaam, Peter Auge, general manager of Sun Biofuels Tanzania, sits in his office. He is a casual, straightforward South African. "It is true," he says, "that we were a little reserved with our information policy." There are still many unknowns, says Auge, adding that he doesn't want to read in the paper that "the project is two years behind schedule."

DER SPIEGEL

Auge promises social investments, although they are not part of the agreements at this point. Even when it comes to compensation for the people living on the land, which the government insists must be paid, the investors are getting an exceedingly good deal. They offered the equivalent of about €450,000, a ridiculous price for the 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) that they can now use for almost a century.

Seventy kilometers (43 miles) farther south, on the Rufiji River, thousands of residents are being forced to move to make way for the Swedish company Sekab's plans to grow sugarcane, a highly water-intensive crop, on at least 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) and then distill it into ethanol. Five thousand hectares (12,350 acres) have already been approved.

The river and the wetlands along its banks are the only source of drinking water for thousands of people, especially during the dry season. Sekab also plans to tap this reservoir to irrigate its plantations. Transparency? Nonexistent. Compensation? None whatsoever. Information? A scarce commodity. When residents attending an informational event asked about compensation payments, they were told curtly: "You will get what you are entitled to."

The PR machine is all the more active, even in poor countries like Tanzania. Naturally South African national Josephine Brennan, who is in charge of public relations for Sekab in Dar es Salaam, sees only good things for Tanzania's future. Farming for biofuel will enable the country to build new schools and new roads, which translate into better opportunities for Tanzanians, says Brennan. According to Brennan, small farmers will also be able to earn more money in the future by growing biofuel-ready plants, and up to three million people in Tanzania alone will be lifted out of poverty. With its two million hectares of potential cropland, Tanzania, says Brennan, has as much growth potential "as the Celtic Tiger, Ireland." Finally, she is convinced that "the world needs Tanzania."

But Brennan's rosy predictions do not reflect opinions in East Africa. A study on energy plants in Tanzania, conducted by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation, lists a host of negative side effects. What is more, this is not the first time that white investors have promised prosperity for Tanzania.

With similarly enticing promises, small farmers were talked out of their land several decades ago to make way for coffee plantations. In the 1990s, foreign mining companies arrived in Tanzania to dig for gold. "They promised us jobs, new roads, new wells and schools," says journalist Joseph Shayo. "And what happened? No schools, no wells and few jobs, which were low-paying jobs, to boot." To make matters worse, large mining zones were fenced off and became inaccessible to the original residents.

In a recently published study on the "Biofuel Industry in Tanzania," journalist Khoti Kamanga of the University of Dar es Salaam warns against the side effects of energy plantations. The population, Kamanga writes, is usually uninformed, while the cultivation of energy plants usually goes hand-in-hand with forced resettlement. According to Kamanga, it is very likely that ethanol production will also affect food prices in Tanzania, with the country's dependency on food imports growing even further.

In Dar es Salaam, the government has now recognized that the boom also comes with problems. "Energy plants cannot be an alternative to food production," said President Jakaya Kikwete, responding to widespread resentment in his country over high food prices.

But the energy farmers remain unimpressed. Sun Biofuels and Sekab each want to expand their production to 50,000 hectares (124,000 acres) -- as soon as possible.

-- Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan


URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,576548,00.html

Kwa mawazo yangu kuongelea tu juu ya renewable energy in isolation when Tanzania is being turned into a large energy farm hakuta tusaidia. Nafikiri tuwe broader in our consideration of this issue.

Mungu ibariki Tanzania na watu wake;

Kudi Shauri.

 

[Invisible]

Somethings is coming over this project... Keep your eye on this topic

 

[Idimi]

Ruhudji Hydro Power Project

• This buyer is a part of the Songo Songo Gas Development Project.

Ruhudji Hydro Power Project operates in Tanzania.

The Ruhudji hydropower project will be designed with the capacity of 358 MW to generate 2000 Gwh of electricity per annum. The Ruhudji hydropower project will be located on the Ruhudji River and the Project Cost is estimated to be in the region of USD 700-800 million. The project’s financial closure is projected to be achieved within 3 years as a public-private partnership (“PPP”).

Huu mradi wa Ruhudji, kwa mujibu wa ripoti ya Bw Leonard Kassana (2007) inatarajiwa kuanza mwaka 2012. Na kwa uzoefu wangu wa miradi ya hydro huu mradi utakamilika si chini ya miaka mitano tangu kuanza kwake. Afadhali kama tungeanza na mradi wa umeme wa gesi!

.......
Kwa nini hatuelekezi kwenye nguvu za nishati kutumia Upepo na Jua ambazo gharama za muda mrefu si kubwa kama kilichotokea kutokana na mabwawa ya maji ambayo yamejaa tope na kukosa maji kutokana na ukame?

Hii miradi ya upepo nayo haiko salama kiasi hicho, ingawa inapigiwa chapuo sana. Wind projects ziko subject na noise, visibility problems na masuala mengine ya kimazingira, ikiwemo kuharibu madhari ya eneo husika.
Hali kadhalika, kuhusu ufisadi, huku nako RA na Mwakyembe washaanza kupigna vikumbo asubuhi subuhi. Si kwema sana.

Mkandara,

Right on the money! Tuanze kwa kuangalia ni nini mahitaji yetu ndipo tuanze sambaa.

Tayari kuna project ya umeme Singida na Dodoma kutumia nguvu za upepo na wanasema itakuwa na uwezo wa kuzalisha megawati 50 na kutosheleza Singida na Dodoma hata gridi ya Taifa kwa 10%

That is mere politics. Tungeanza na upanuzi wa miradi ya umeme wa gesi, ambayo tunayo ya kutosha kule Mnazi bay na Songosongo

Wakuu,

Hii Ruhudji ni wapi...

Iko Kilombero, mpakani mwa Morogoro (Kilombero) na Pwani (Rufiji)

Ipo mkoani Kagera

Duh!
Somo la Jografia ulipata alama gani weye?

 

[Sikonge]

Huu mradi wa Ruhudji, kwa mujibu wa ripoti ya Bw Leonard Kassana (2007) inatarajiwa kuanza mwaka 2012. Na kwa uzoefu wangu wa miradi ya hydro huu mradi utakamilika si chini ya miaka mitano tangu kuanza kwake. Afadhali kama tungeanza na mradi wa umeme wa gesi!

Hii miradi ya upepo nayo haiko salama kiasi hicho, ingawa inapigiwa chapuo sana. Wind projects ziko subject na noise, visibility problems na masuala mengine ya kimazingira, ikiwemo kuharibu madhari ya eneo husika.
Hali kadhalika, kuhusu ufisadi, huku nako RA na Mwakyembe washaanza kupigna vikumbo asubuhi subuhi. Si kwema sana.

That is mere politics. Tungeanza na upanuzi wa miradi ya umeme wa gesi, ambayo tunayo ya kutosha kule Mnazi bay na Songosongo

Idimi,
Nakubaliana na wewe. Huu umeme wa Upepo kuna jamaa nilishaona wakilalamika kuwa eneo lao (ufukwe wa bahari) umeharibiwa kwa kuwekwa hayo mapanga na ndege huuliwa. Watalii wameanza kupakimbia kwa sababu hiyo. Hili la umeme wa UPEPO ni muhimu sana ila kwa mawazo yangu nafikiri tufanye subira jamaa walifanyie utafiti na majaribio na tuone huko mbele watasemaje. Sisi na umasikini wetu hatuna pesa za majaribio. Lile limkonga moja kubwa, kuna yanayofika au hata kuzidi Euro. 1 million. Sasa hapo ongeza na makorokoro mengine ya kutunza umeme.
Solar nazo ni yaleyale kuwa inabidi umeme uutunze kwenye mabetri ili ikifika usiku uanze kuutumia. Kama una kiwanda, kwa kweli ni ndoto. Nafikiri hili pia tuwapen muda waje na technologia za uhakika.

Nguvu ya maji na Gas /Makaa ya mawe ni umeme wa uhakika, ili muradi hayo maji au gas au makaa yawepo. Cha muhimu tungelifight hizo mashine ikibidi ziwe zinaundiwa hapa Tanzania na sisi tuwe tunanunua na au kuziuza nje ya nchi. Faida yake ni kuwa zikiharibika, itakuwa rahisi kwetu kuzitengeneza. Hapo sasa huu umeme wa Upepo na Solar uwe kama nyongeza kwenye GRID ya taifa. Ni kama nchi za EU wanavyoongeza mafuta ya kula kwenye diesel au Petrol. Nafikiri sasa ni sheria kuwa ni lazima mafuta ya kwenye magari yawe na asilimia kama 5 ya hiyo Biofuel kutoka kwenye mimea.

 

[Kwame Nkrumah]

Somethings is coming over this project... Keep your eye on this topic

Nasikia harufu ya ufisadi inakuja.