Power and Energy in Rwanda
Senior 2 · Geography and Environment
Power and Energy in Rwanda
Lesson 3 of 3
22 min
In 2010 fewer than one Rwandan in ten had electricity at home. By 2024 about seven in ten did, according to World Bank data. That change has brought evening study, mobile money, refrigerated vaccines and new workshops to places that never had them. But most families still cook with wood and charcoal, and power remains costly. This lesson weighs the benefits, the problems and the way ahead.
Switch off lights and machines not in use; use LED bulbs; use improved cookstoves and pot lids; use solar water heaters; design buildings with windows for daylight; maintain machines.
Share of Rwanda's population with access to electricity (World Bank data, via Our World in Data): 2010, 9.7%; 2015, 22.8%; 2020, 45.2%; 2024, 72%. Burundi in 2024: 20.1%.
A shop replaces a 60 W bulb with a 9 W LED. The light is on 5 hours a day for 30 days. Electricity costs 200 Frw per kWh. How much is saved in a month?
Tip
Formula to remember: kWh = watts × hours ÷ 1,000. One kilowatt-hour is the energy used by a 1,000 W appliance running for one hour.
Solution: it keeps vaccines and medicines cold and gives light for night-time care (also powers equipment and phones).
Solution: deforestation (and soil erosion), and smoke that harms health indoors.
Solution: 15 minutes = 0.25 h; 2,000 × 0.25 × 30 ÷ 1,000 = 15 kWh.
Solution: more Lake Kivu methane power and off-grid solar (also regional hydro projects, LPG and improved stoves).
Solution: largely true in the short term: solar is quick and cheap to install where power lines over steep hills are costly. But it gives less power, so the grid is still needed for workshops and mills. A mix of both is best.
Summary
Sources and credits
The lists, the worked examples (the tariff is illustrative) and the practice items are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
