The solution to Energy challenges in Ghana, Energy it’s said, is that the heartbeat of any nation. we’d like it to figure, play, cook and funky or heat ourselves.
Ghana has been going into the option of Solar energy and its one of the cheapest way of renewable energy which will help Ghana’s energy problem
The solution to Energy challenges in Ghana
Ghana is not any different because the advent of electricity within the early 1960s contributed to the successful transformation of its economy. From previously counting on wood as its sort of energy, many households have switched to other sorts of sustainable energy as their means of performing various duties.
Thermal, hydro and biogas are a number of the means by which households in Ghana derive their energy from. the newest to follow during this line is solar power.
According to Wikipedia, solar power is radiant light and warmth from the sun harnessed employing a range of ever-evolving technologies like solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis.
Parts of Ghana, like in Navrongo, have already benefited from this reliable, renewable source of energy. From cooking to heating water, to serve as a source of lighting, residents within the Navrongo township have had their lives simplified by this technology.
A look at other sub-regional countries like Burkina Faso and Benin show solar power has impacted their lives positively, especially within the course of irrigation.
Ghana, like every other country, is exploring this renewable source of energy because the country is blessed abundant sunshine. consistent with a piece of writing within the B&FT, a Member of Parliament (MP) in Ghana’s legislature, Dr Kwabena Donkor, endorsed the thought of incorporating solar power in building projects like schools and hospitals. this is often to make sure that such institutions are connected to electricity while reducing the load on the national grid.
Imagine how far this ambitious project would go. it might allow students in such institutions to profit from the usage of bright lamps rather than straining their eyes reading with candlelight. It could even cut long-term costs, allowing the govt to get computers with this saved-up budget.
For the hospitals, the endless talk about patients losing their lives thanks to surgeries being performed within the midst of blackouts is often averted or reduced to the barest minimum.
The solution to Energy challenges in Ghana
For areas without electricity, it might be used as a tool for ladies empowerment through adult literacy. In Accra and other cities in Ghana, solar power are often the answer to noise and pollution.
Ghana’s increasing population means the pressure on the national grid will keep mounting and this is often sure to cause an increasing shift to fuel energy. it’s common to listen to the revving of diesel-powered generators interlaced with plumes of smoke within the air.
This not only has an instantaneous effect in terms of pollution but a contributor to ozonosphere depletion. ozonosphere depletion triggers an increase in temperatures and disturbances in climate.
The question, however, is should Ghana prefer to adopt a grid-connected solar power approach? This was an argument raised by the Honourable MP.
He does have cogent reasons for being sceptical on this subject. If you think about that installing Photovoltaic (PV) panels requires large tracts of land, then you ought to worry. Ghana is already grappling with a deficit of over 1.7 million housing units and therefore the release of such lands for solar purposes may leave many house hunters within the cold.
The agriculture sector, which has seen growth slowed to five .2 per cent of Ghana’s GDP are going to be further decimated with this type of development.
In terms of cost, solar power could invariably increase our present cost. the height time for energy in homes is between 6 and 11 pm, a period when solar won’t be available. that might mean investing in technology to store energy which could add about 50 per cent to the value, consistent with Dr Donkor.
In Navrongo, for 2 megawatts of solar power to be produced, solar panels were installed on 3.4 hectares of land at a price of about $9 million. Compare this with the one megawatt of thermal energy which costs about $1 million.
The probable solution would be to draft policies that impel certain aspects of Ghana’s industrial sector to adopt solar power to scale back the pressure on the grid. Government’s plan of accelerating the penetration rate of renewable energy is most laudable. However, the state of Ghana has got to determine whether it’s best to attach the grid to solar power or leave it within the hands of personal and strategic components.