Can we find a local solution for the Electricity Tower Vandalism?

Early this month, I attended the Renewable Energy Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo. There were a number of technology solutions in the energy space. After that conference, I think the following week there was a Science Fair at Kololo Independence ground. At the Science Fair, there was a huge display of a number of local […]

Electric Vehicle Breakthrough in Uganda

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) held its annual renewable energy conference from 3rd to 5th November 2022 at Speke Resort Munyonyo. At the conference, Total Energies showcased an electric vehicle. The vehicle is a Nissan and it is 100% an electric vehicle. It uses electricity to power the engine. Total Energies has […]

Uganda’s electricity subsector over the last 60 years – part II

This article is a follow up to my previous blog on Uganda’s electricity subsector over the last 60 years. I would like to expound on the history of Owen falls dam that was later named Nalubaale Power station as well as on grid and off-grid thermal generating plants. The Uganda Electricity Board (UEB) was established […]

Uganda at 60: The Electricity story

Uganda started her electricity journey in 1906 Uganda power company opened a factory in Kireka. There were a number of thermal electricity producers like the Uganda Sugar Factory, and Imperial hotel before 1954. In 1954 was the big break in electricity supply when Owen Falls Hydro Power Plant was built at Rippon falls on the […]

Why did Uganda loadshed when Isimba flooded?

In my last post, I posed questions on the cause of the Isimba Hydro Power Plant black out. Today, I take it further by asking: should Uganda have had load shedding when it lost Isimba Hydro Power Plant? Based on the figures given by the Electricity Regulatory Authority, Uganda’s Electricity Supply by installed capacity is […]

Another look at the Isimba Hydro Power Plant failure

Isimba Hydro Power Plant is 180MW hydroelectric power generating station. Isimba started operations in march 2019. Last month, Isimba went off the grid. Load shedding was initiated in order to ensure that the power deficit caused could be managed. Load shedding is a painful experience. Darkness that had become an experience of the past is […]

Improving electricity reliability

A few weeks ago, we lost one of the big power hydro power plants in Uganda. Isimba hydro power plant went off the grid. This caused an electricity supply deficit of 180 MW. The dreaded load shedding resumed and many people who thought this was in the past were quite disturbed. Load shedding is not […]

Benefits of converting boda bodas to electric

The government of Uganda has advised the general public to move from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles. The idea of converting motorcycles called boda bodas to electric can have a ripple effect on the economy. If this is well implemented, it can actually spur economic growth. The motorcycle has become a central component of the […]

How Africa can leapfrog to Electric Vehicle

The challenge on every technical person’s mind in the 1980s was how developing countries were going to get connected to a telephone line. It looked like it was going to be difficult to get the telephone into homes in the developing world. In Uganda there were less than 200,000 telephone lines in the country. It […]

Surviving VUCA

VUCA is short for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. It is a phenomenon used to describe state of the world in the 2000s. This situation has been created by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The world has gone through four industrial revolutions and is currently in the fifth industrial revolution. The first industrial revolution (1IR) […]