Abaarso, March 13, 2010 (SL Times) – The largest wind turbine in the country arrived on the campus of Abaarso Tech on Tuesday after being shipped from China. When installed the wind turbine is expected to provide up to 30 KW of continuous power, enough for Abaarso Tech’s campus.

Daniel Chehata, the head of the physics department, said the whole assembly process could take less than a week. Staff is hopeful that shortly thereafter the windmill will start producing the majority of energy the secondary boarding school uses.

“This is a significant development for Abaarso Tech and for Somaliland. It is also another testament that our new school is committed to innovative approaches to development,” said Dr. Ahmed Esa, co-founder and board vice-chair.

Esa expects Abaarso Tech’s reliance on wind and other renewable energy sources to be an excellent indicator for the viability of these alternatives in resource lacking areas.

Experts consider a wind speed of 6.4 m/s to be economically viable. Some areas surrounding Hargeysa are estimated to have a yearly average wind speed much higher than this.

This could be good news for Somali consumers who currently pay between 80 US cents and 1 US dollar for 1 KW of energy. Wind turbine energy would be a significantly cheaper option to the diesel generators that provide nearly 100 percent of the energy that Somaliland uses.

By Teresa Krug

Abaarso, Somaliland

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