Towards development of effective policies and regulationsfor sustainable off-grid solar electronic waste managementsystems in Kenya
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2023-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Abstract
Off-grid solar systems provide clean and affordable energy sources. Adoption
of off-grid Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular in Kenya as a source
of renewable energy, with an estimated 10 million people using off-grid solar
power systems as of the end of year 2022. However, the rising off-grid solar systems technology uptake comes with a growing amount of solar e-waste, which
can have harmful environmental and health effects if not managed properly.
Current data on the exact amount of solar e-waste being generated in Kenya is
unavailable and this amount will continue to rise with the expiry of many of
these off-grid solar systems lifespans. This study through stakeholder’s workshop and document review data collection and analysis approaches, established
that Kenya just like many countries in the Global South has a robust general
waste policy and regulation management framework. However, it lacks specific
policies and regulations on off-grid-solar electronic waste management a challenge that many countries in the Global North have made considerate steps in
addressing. In addition, there is a lack of awareness of the hazardous nature of
off-grid solar systems’ e-waste components to both consumers and institutions
of governance. There is a lack of adequate infrastructure and sufficient systems
for off-grid solar e-waste management in the country. Enforcement and implementation challenges of the existing general waste regulations due to limited
resources and capacity and corruption culture are major impending factors. This
calls for the development of effective policies and regulations to ensure sustainable off-grid solar e-waste management in Kenya against the backdrop of the
rising uptake of off-grid solar systems.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Citation
Mugendi KD, Mireri CO, Enevoldsen MK. Towards development of effective policies and regulations for sustainable off-grid solar electronic waste management systems in Kenya. Engineering Reports. 2024;6(7):e12805. doi: 10.1002/eng2.12805