In an award ceremony that was held at Washington DC in the US, Kenya managed to scoop six out of the seven awards in the African category at the 39th World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC). The WEEC is the largest energy conference and technology expo held in the U.S specifically for business, industrial and institutional energy users. It brings together the top experts in all areas of the field to help set a clear and optimum path to energy efficiency, facility optimization and sustainability. The awards are run by the Association of Energy Engineers (AAE’s), a global nonprofit association represented in 98 countries. AAE’s objective is to promote the scientific and educational interests in the energy and to foster action for sustainable development.
These awards go to show the strides that Kenya has made over the years in the energy sector that have seen the country implement very stringent energy regulations. The awards winners include;
Chris Mbori – Young Energy Professional of the Year
For providing leadership in the energy sector as the CEO of Eenovators Ltd, that have conducted over 100 Energy Audits in the region, for developing an innovative energy management program – The Eagles Program and for conducting measurement and verification though IPMVP®.
Eustace Murithi Njeru – Energy Engineer of the Year
For the critical role he has played in developing the Energy Management Regulations 2012 and implementing them through the Energy Regulatory Commission. So far about 1000 facilities have conducted energy audits and started implementing energy management regulations.
Lawrence Muma Mang’erere – Energy Professional Development
For the important role played in energy training and development and for overseeing the upskilling and knowledge transfer that has seen the development of many energy engineers across East Africa over the last 10 years.
Albert Mugo – Energy Manager of the Year
As the CEO of Kengen, his leadership has seen him steer the organization to implement sustainable energy projects and to develop partnerships to further the energy agenda, with specific focus on the successes recorded in the Geothermal Power Plant projects in Olkaria.
280 MW Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant – Innovative Energy Project of the Year
The project has been truly innovative because Kengen has managed to reduce the lead times of generation energy from geothermal using a new wellhead generation technology. It has also managed to save a lot of resources using this new technology.
Sarova Hotels Ltd – Corporate Energy Management
Sarova Hotels has distinguished itself over the years for ensuring processes, systems and policies are in place in all their facilities to ensure sustainable energy use. There has been notable continuous effort to ensure energy efficiency in all their hotels.
Standard Bank Global Leadership Centre – Energy Project of the Year
For the green energy features inbuilt into the facility including a building monitoring system, energy efficient lighting, air quality testing, and sustainable land use and ecology.