Browsing by Author "Kilama, George"

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    Analysis of solar radiation in Uganda (a case study of Kasese, Jinja and Soroti Districts)
    (International Journal of Current Research, 2014) Biira, Saphina; Kilama, George
    Solar energy is an alternative to fossil fuels for more huge potential to meet many times the present world energy demand. Readily available solar radiation data is a key to design and simulation of all solar energy applications hour data is considered which were obtained from the meteorological Department, Entebbe. The sunshine hour’s data got were measurements from 2007 to 2012, from three stations of Jinja, Soroti and Kasese. These stations are well spread throughout the country a view of the level of solar radiation in the country. It was observed that Soroti had high monthly averages compared to Jinja and Kasese with three minima occurring in April, July and November. This analysis revealed that June to August in all the three stations. Low sunshine hours are encountered from November to December and lowest March to May. the distribution of mean sunshine interval from the three stations indicate that more sunshine occurred in Soroti with the average value of all the data recorded between 2007 and 2012 being 8.2 followed by Jinja with a value of 7.1 and finally Kasese with the lowest value of 6.1 hours. lower interval range is observed across all the months implying that overcast days were either followed by a clear or partially clear days. Therefore Uganda encounters bright sunshine days most of the time in the year
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    Quantification and characterization of cocoa pod husks for electricity generation in Uganda
    (Sustainability and Society, 2019) Kilama, George; Lating, Peter O.; Byaruhanga, Joseph; Biira, Saphina
    Due to limited coverage, the electricity power supply in Uganda is an obstacle to the country’s economic development. Utility firms in Uganda either lack the financial capacity to expand their grids to isolated rural areas or choose not to do so due to the low return on investment. Therefore, connecting households to minigrids represents an effective solution to providing power to remote/rural areas. This study evaluates the resource and technology of generating electrical energy from cocoa pod husks (CPHs), an agricultural residue/waste, generated in Uganda. The use of agricultural waste for energy generation is the most suitable option for the rural population in Uganda because of the availability of a raw material (biomass) for its production, which is pollutionfree (renewable and clean) and does not have competition for use. The inability to convert these solid wastes into useful products culminates into environmental related challenges, such as landfilling, climate change, pests, and diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study is to quantify the amount of generated CPHs and evaluate its potential for electricity generation in Uganda. Subsequently, we have been looking into the potential of CPHs as a feedstock for a thermochemical conversion process and the feasibility of a direct combustion technology. Results: The amount of CPHs generated in Uganda has been estimated. The physiochemical analysis has shown that the proportion of CPHs in the fresh pods is about 74%, which is nearly the same as in other studies. The dry matter content of CPHs has been found to be on an average of 19%, whereas ash content, moisture content, and the gross caloric value have been recorded to be 12.3%, 12.58%, and 17.5%, respectively. It seems therefore likely that 41.7 GJ of energy might be produced each year from CPHs in Uganda. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that the CPHs are an important energy source. As there is an increasing trend in cocoa and CPH production in Uganda per year, the electricity production based on CPHs is sustainable and can be upgraded. The use of CPHs for energy conversion is therefore feasible, cost-efficient, and a solution to some environmental challenges.