Nestled under acacia trees, the house adjoins a magnificent game sanctuary in Kenya's Great Rift Valley - only two hours from Nairobi, and stands renovated, from its early days as a colonial home for members of the notorious 'Happy Valley Set'.

On the banks of River Malewa in Naivasha, lies the imposing Malewa Ranch House.

Nestled under acacia trees, the house adjoins a magnificent game sanctuary in Kenya's Great Rift Valley - only two hours from Nairobi, and stands renovated, from its early days as a colonial home for members of the notorious 'Happy Valley Set'.

Yet it's most outstanding feature is entirely modern, in the form of windmill powered gardens that are home to birds and other wild animals. As the beautiful gardens extend to the river, a windmill works away lifting water from the well, amid birdsong that can be heard in the treetops until dusk.

Erecting a windmill in the garden as a source of energy is drawing rising interest in Kenya as an option that is free after the first spend, and environmentally clean.

The energy produced by the turbines does not emit CO2, which is blamed for global warming. Furthermore, a household with a windmill can save money on energy bills and even sell to neighbours, or to the national grid.

Tariffs

This free power becomes particularly appealing against the backdrop of Kenya's astronomical electricity cost.

Just this past week, electricity tariffs in the East Africa region increased sharply, especially in Tanzania and Uganda, where the cost of power rose by between 40.29 and 42 per cent from this week. In Kenya, the tariffs are anticipated to rise by an average 26 per cent should the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) grant, sole distributor, Kenya Power the authority to increase its prices again.

Under the proposed new tariffs, households consuming between 51 units and 1,500 units will pay Sh11.79 per kilowatt hour (Kwh) from Sh8.10 per Kwh while those consuming above 1,500 units will pay Sh22 per unit from Sh18.75.

It's pricing that is only likely to fuel further uptake in alternative energy sources, with new attention turning to wind.

According to research done by RenewableUK, formerly referred as British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), people generally view wind energy positively in the UK.

"More and more householders, communities and small businesses are interested in generating their own electricity by using small scale wind turbines, either on their roofs or in their back gardens," the organisation says.

In fact, the UK is currently home to many of the world's leading producers of small wind systems that typically stand just 10 to 50 metres tall, often making them roughly the same height as a large tree, house or agricultural outbuilding. Even smaller mills are now available in Kenya, many of them manufactured locally.

Decorative

Garden windmills can look graceful and even decorative, although the main reasons for erecting them tend to be for powering electrical fences, or pumping water.

They don't make much noise, but do need a minimum of wind, meaning that home-owners need to talk with neighbours and the local or administrative officials to get planning approval and energy experts to be sure that local wind speeds are enough, and to ascertain the most appropriate windmill for the location.

According to Norman Chege, the Solar Division Manager, Davis and Shirtliff, there has been an upsurge in the sales of wind generators in the country as more Kenyans turn to generating their own energy.

"The only problem is that there is not enough wind in many parts of the country and urban areas like Nairobi are sky congested with high rise buildings, which affect the movement of wind. The wind patterns and speed matter a great deal. For the turbines to generate enough energy, the wind speed has to be around 8m/s.

In other regions like lower Rift Valley and Coast, and places like Isinya, Kajiado, Turkana, people are already using these wind generators to produce wind power for home use," he said.

The company, which supplies water-related equipment in East Africa, sells a 400-watts wind generator for Sh80,000, while the 600 and 1000 watts go for Sh90,000 and Sh130,000 respectively. There are also additional costs for the battery to store the energy and an inverter to change the energy from DC to AC.

Little space

The cost of the mast where the generator is mounted depends on the height. Locally, the height ranges from 5 metres to 15 metres and costs from Sh30,000 and Sh100,000 respectively. The mast occupies very little ground space - about half a metre in radius.

"On average, one should expect to spend around Sh170,000 for a small wind generator, but bigger ones can cost upto millions. The ones we sell have a lifespan of 20 years, but with proper usage and maintenance, they can last longer," explained Chege.

The company is currently selling 30 to 50 wind generators a year, with most buyers using them for domestic purposes, and some institutions combining the wind energy with solar energy to generate more for their increased consumption.

In most urban areas, like Nairobi, the uptake is minimal because of limited wind. But elsewhere, homeowners are quickly reaping large savings in their power bills.

"The generators are cost effective because even the small one of 400 watts is enough to light 20 to 30 bulbs in a home, operate a radio, TV, and a small fridge. The 1000 watts one can light 50 to 60 watts and operate all the house electrical appliances and even power a small pump in the home.

It's definitely a good investment in a home," said Chege.

Another option for getting a windmill is to shop online. On eBay, a handcrafted windmill lawn ornament made of cedar wood costs only $69.98 exclusive of tax and shipping charges. It is made of quality cedar wood known for its natural resistance to moisture, decay, and insect damage.

It can be used indoors and out on patios, decks and lawns.

For those with fish ponds in their gardens, there are customised windmill aeration systems that aerate the pond from bottom up, reducing algae, bacteria and odour.

They also add oxygen and prevent pond stratification hence preventing fish from dying, at an online cost of $2,699.99.

African Laughter