BACKGROUND AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
Energy is a crucial resource proportional to the growth of individual
populations around the globe. The high demands of exponentially growing
groups and populations have constrained the options of energy
production. More specifically, industrializing energy became essential
in meeting population needs and demands. Economically, both fossil fuel
and coal production are the most sufficient fields of immediate energy
availability and output. According to a 2015 energy consumption report
from Blue Sky Energy Partners, the combination of petroleum and coal
expend nearly 52% of all energy demands in the United States- 36% Oil
and 18% Coal (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2016). In
addition to this national survey of energy consumption, a global review
found nearly 62% of all needs accounted for coal and oil- 33% Oil and
29.2% Coal (Columbia University, 2016). International and National
reviews of energy consumption indicate that energy corporations are
ultimately straying away from renewable energy types. The frame of
renewable energy is hindered technologically, as it is limited by
surrounding environmental conditions. More specifically, technologies,
such as solar cells/solar panels, are constrained by the sunlight
exposure in specific regions. The limitations of the renewable and
nonrenewable energy sector create economical barriers, oftentimes being
excluded from developing (3rd world) countries. Studies have presented a
close correlation between both economic growth and energy availability
(Neto et al., 2014). Due to the economic circumstances of 3rd and 2nd
world countries, continuous access to both nonrenewable and renewable
energies is constricted, due to financial limitations of large
capacity/quantity. Contrary to non-renewable energy types, renewable
sources do not suffice the energy market and the economy due to high
initial costs and inconsistency (Giraldo et al., 2014). The economic and
technological impediments of large-scale and non-intuitive renewable
energy sources can be most magnified in impoverished and developing
nations of Africa. Kenya is a developing country which necessitates
biomass and waste combustion as the prime source of fuel. However,
individual houses and facilities experience frequent power outages due
to irregular Electricity production. The central drawback of
irregularity lies in large-scale energy inconsistency. In other words,
developing countries are oftentimes deprived of a smart grid system
which provides stable energy flow to individual facilities, departments,
and residents. Implanting a Smart Grid2, along with
Distributed Generation3, may provide dependable energy
flowage. More specifically, Distributed Generation may integrate
electricity and power with small-scale technologies, which lessens
stress on the central grid system (Vandaele & Porter, 2015).