Journals Information
Energy and Environmental Engineering(CEASE PUBLICATION) Vol. 7(2), pp. 38 - 49
DOI: 10.13189/eee.2020.070203
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Analysis of Environmental Impacts of Solar Energy Technologies in Rwanda: GigaWatt
Eustache Hakizimana 1,*, A. Ngendahayo 1, U. G. Wali 2, D. Sandoval 1, V. Kayibanda 3
1 African Center of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
2 Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
3 Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
ABSTRACT
Nowadays Rwanda's target is to transit from a developing country to a middle-income country. One of the objectives to achieve this is the government encouraging private companies and individuals to invest in solar energy use either solar home system, mini-grid or grid-connected technology. The main objective of the study was to investigate the environmental impact assessment of solar energy technologies in Rwanda and its related plant performances. The assessment of the Rwamagana solar power plant (GigaWatt) was defined as a case study. In this study, the data and information were collected from the rural community of Rwamagana district, power plant and Rwanda energy group (REG). The Rwanda national electrification framework shows that solar energy technology is the third after hydropower, thermal and peat technologies. Solar PV modules used to produce electricity of 8.5 MW to the national grid while more than 14,970 solar home systems are installed in different parts of Rwanda. As shown in the presented results, there were no global warming emissions associated with generating electricity from solar energy technologies while Rwamagana solar power plant used larger utility-scale solar photovoltaic panels to raise the land degradation and habitat loss. The paper is concluded focusing on the ways to avoid negative and enhance the positive impacts of solar energy technology in the selected power plant.
KEYWORDS
Solar Energy Technology, Solar Photovoltaic, Solar 51视频 System and Rural Electrification
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Eustache Hakizimana , A. Ngendahayo , U. G. Wali , D. Sandoval , V. Kayibanda , "Analysis of Environmental Impacts of Solar Energy Technologies in Rwanda: GigaWatt," Energy and Environmental Engineering(CEASE PUBLICATION), Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 38 - 49, 2020. DOI: 10.13189/eee.2020.070203.
(b). APA Format:
Eustache Hakizimana , A. Ngendahayo , U. G. Wali , D. Sandoval , V. Kayibanda (2020). Analysis of Environmental Impacts of Solar Energy Technologies in Rwanda: GigaWatt. Energy and Environmental Engineering(CEASE PUBLICATION), 7(2), 38 - 49. DOI: 10.13189/eee.2020.070203.