Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in selected tea factories in Kenya

Tea sector is a major contributor to Kenya’s economy through foreign exchange via export. However, extensive amount of energy is required to produce one kilogram of tea, making tea processing energy-intensive. Comparing greenhouse gas emissions from different types of energy consumed in tea factories is imperative to enable policymakers make informed intervention in emission reduction. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in tea factories is one of the pathways to meeting Kenya’s nationally determined 32% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030 and commitment to the Paris Agreement. This paper assesses greenhouse gas emissions from different sources of energy used in four tea factories in Kenya. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emission factor is used to calculate the total emissions of each type of energy used for 5 years. Life cycle assessment using SimaPro 8 software, Eco-indicator 99 method and Eco invent database was used to assess the specific compound causing the emission. The findings reveal that the 5-year greenhouse gas emissions by biogas, solar, wood, briquettes, and electricity are 336.111, 7.108, 3057.729, and 1,338.28 kg CO 2 /MWh, respectively. Firewood has the highest concentration of carbon dioxide, while solar energy has the least. Analysis of variance confirms significant difference (0.05>p = 0.0272) in greenhouse gas emissions from the different energy sources. Post-hoc analyses shows a significant difference in emissions between solar and firewood (p<0.0125) and no significant difference between other sources of energy. The key environmental hotspot is the energy intensive processes such as drying involved in tea production and processing, which leads to consumption of fossil fuel in the factories. To reduce such key hotspot, switching to renewable energy sources is key. Sustainability in the tea sector can therefore be achieved through switching to macadamia briquettes as a source of thermal energy and a combination of electricity and solar for electrical energy.