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Renewable energy sector attracts investors


By: Fred Yaw Sarpong
fsarpong@theeventpr.com

The Ministry of Energy has received several applications from investors wanting to invest in the renewable energy sector, the Daily Express can confirm.
According to the information gathered, applications are coming from China, U.S and some European countries.
Ghana has several resources such as: wind, solar PV, mini grid, and modern biomass that are expected to be exploited for
electricity production.
But renewable energy has been the major one which many investors have expressed interest to champion, to add some portion
of energy solution to the national grid.
The investors are going to be taken through processes to partner the government to commission a lot of mini renewable projects by 2030.
The ministry pointed out that this will help the country to increase its current 1% of renewable energy feed into the national grid.
Currently, Ghana’s installed generation capacity stands at 4,577 megawatt (MW) as against 4,132 MW in 2016.
The 2018 budget statement states that, the government is expected to continue to increase the installed generation capacity by about 487MW (Cenpower; 340MW, Early Power Phase 1; 147MW) to meet the growing demand of electricity.
The Daily Express learnt that the Ministry of Energy is putting in efforts to ensure that the renewable projects and programes
yield positive results.
The Assistant Progamme Officer at the Renewable Directorate at the Ministry of Energy, Mr. Jimmy Agbetso Amedo disclosed that since 2010, over 1000 standalone systems have been installed across the country to enable people in off-grid communities to charge their mobile phones.
“Since 2010, we started with the standalone systems. Basically, we call them battery charging stations where people go to charge their mobile phones”, he explained
further.
He stated that; “the standalone systems were also used for lighting for health facilities, school facilities, and some security facilities. Some health facilities were also provided with solar
vaccine refrigerators”.
Recently, because the ministry was finding it difficult to connect communities, the ministry decided to focus more on the lakeside communities around the Volta Lake and island communities.At the moment, “we have done five mini-grids and we are hoping to do over 50 by the year 2030.”
He mentioned that just this year, they have done a mapping for three mini grids which are expected to come into effective hopefully next year.
“The five mini grids already done are located in Ada in the Greater Accra Region, Sene in the Brong Ahafo Region and Krachi in the Volta Region”, Mr Agbetso Amedo said.
Meanwhile, the ministry is working on additional three mini grids, which will be located along the island communities in Ada.
Touching on the solar rooftop programme, Mr Agbetso Amedo indicated that the ministry is also working in collaboration with the Energy Commission to provide solar panels for people across the country.
“The whole idea of the solar rooftop programme is to try to get people off the grid so that it will take the pressure on the national grid off.
“So, what happens is that we provide free 500watt panels for people but there areconditions attached.”
He said people have to make sure they have their balance of systems, which includes batteries, inverter, house properly wired, and lights change to LEDs.
Recently, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Ghana called on the government to give tax incentives to companies that have completely or partially switched to renewable energy.
According to the institution, the incentives should be based on the investments the companies had put in renewable energy such that companies and individuals that had totally gone off the national grid would not pay taxes on power.
The incentives, he maintained will help drive the government’s renewable energy agenda as private companies and individual investors will be motivated to go off the national grid to enable them benefit from the incentive packages.
He also mentioned that, it will reduce the overhead cost of the companies and make them to produce goods and services effectively.
This will enable them to employ the teeming unemployed youth in the country.

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