New Green ThoughtsSaving the environment one word at a time

When one thinks about green energy, Africa is not exactly one of the first places that people think about. All of this will soon change.

In 2012, Kenya may very well ascend to the higher echelons as one of the greenest countries in the world in terms of using clean energy. Benefited by some of the world’s best wind velocities, the Sub-Saharan nation facing the Indian Ocean is set to have at least 365 wind turbines running within the next three to four years. When completed, the turbines on the northern part of the country at Lake Turkana will generate energy equal to 25% of the country’s current energy requirement.

The project is being funded by the African Development Bank (ADB). Kenya is by no means the first country in Africa to try and go green. Ethiopia has likewise tried to harness the power of the cross-continental winds by putting up a wind farm that currently supplies 15% of the nation’s energy requirement.

The United States is once again leading the world in terms of new wind energy installations. Though wind energy only accounts for 2% of the entire energy provided for the country, wind energy has been the leading type of energy generating facility in the US in the past four years.

Texas leads all states with approximately 7,100 megawatts of power from wind energy. There are thirteen other states who have at least 500 megawatts generated from wind energy. Likewise, the states of Iowa and Minnesota are already depending on wind energy for at least 10% of their energy requirement.

It seems like the economic forces are forcing Americans to go green.