Alternative sources of
power in Bosaso
By Solomon M Muthoka East Africa
University Puntland Somalia
Electrical Power is important in day to day
running of electrical machines, powering of computer and
electronics systems and lighting system. Efficient running of
these results in increased economic stimulations and income
generations. Consequently, a reliable power source is
prerequisite for the performance of government offices, small
scale and large scale industries, private business and
nongovernmental organizations.
The requirement is to have stable power
supply feeding these sites during the operational time. It is
also necessary to have inexpensive power sources.
Diversification is one of the ways to ensure power demands are
addressed conveniently. Several sources of power could be
harnessed in Putland. These are solar, wind and generators.
These come with advantages and disadvantages but when used
together are beneficial and offer uninterruptible supply. They
could come in as back up when one source is interrupted.
Surprisingly, in Bosaso only one source of
power has been exploited: The generator. This is a convenient
source of power though fuel is expensive. A generator can run as
long as it has fuel. It is also environmentally unfriendly with
toxic gas emissions. Only big companies and organizations can
afford fuel for these machines to run fulltime. Power generation
companies run generators and the cost effect is translated
directly to the consumers who use this power to run air
conditioners, refrigerators, computers, electronics and their
light system .Universities and colleges use this source. They
turn on the generator during office time. This means you cannot
do anything after office hours. Sometimes lack of fuel delays
online class session due to lack of internet connections and
power to run electronic systems during a class setup.
Bosaso has sunlight throughout the year.
Solar power could be exploited comfortably. The installation
cost might be high but on the long run it is cheaper than fuel.
One of the places solar power has been employed is Bosaso
Airport (Beder Qassim Airport).It works out well to power their
systems for traffic control. Most people say it is an expensive
venture though no effort has been shown to try. The major
setback is the expertise, this country has hardly any electrical
engineers or qualified technicians for the installation .It
should be noted solar power installation is simple and needs
little maintenance.
The other source of power is wind. There is
very strong wind here which could run wind mills. Just like
solar power the installation is costly but on long term cheaper
compared to generators. It needs little maintenance and
technical knowhow. Both solar power and wind power are
environmentally friendly .We are endowed with natural resources
let us exploit them for safe environment and also to complement
the current sources of power.