A worker inspects solar panels at a solar farm in Dunhuang, 950 kilometers (590 miles) northwest of Lanzhou, Gansu Province. (Photo : Reuters)
Chinese and Kenyan investors have joined hands to promote the assembly of a solar lighting system by setting up a joint technology transfer and training center, aimed at addressing the potential growing demand for green energy sources in the East African nation.
The Xinhua News Agency reported that the China-Kenya Solid State Lighting Technology Transfer Center is located in an industrial park near the capital Nairobi and is expected to drive the growth of the solar industry in the country.
The report said that the Sunyale Africa Limited, a leading player in Kenya's solar energy market, has partnered with a Beijing-based company to set up the center.
"Our partnership with a Chinese firm will facilitate the establishment of a local assembly plant for solar products. The new center will expose Kenyan technicians to the latest solar solutions," said Maina Maringa, director with Sunyale Africa Limited, during the launching of the center.
Both Chinese and Kenyan investors have stakes in Sunyale Africa, which provides affordable and high-quality solar lighting systems to households, schools, hospitals and businesses in Kenya.
Chinese investors have expressed confidence about the growth of renewable energy in Kenya, which is made possible by its friendly policies and regulations.
Dang Song, CEO of Sunyale Africa, said that foreign direct investments and availability of skilled workforce make possible the growth of the emerging solar industry in Kenya.
Dang said that the center will enable the African country to meet its green energy goal for 2030, with a huge market for solar solutions in rural areas and urban settlements.
Maringa said that Sunyale Africa has covered seven Kenyan counties where the presence of solar energy has helped changed the lives of people.
