The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition has launched a web application platform for net-metering aimed at enhancing access to clean energy in the country.
Net metering is an electricity billing mechanism which is a component of the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP), which allows customers who generate their own energy, typically through solar PV systems, to sell excess energy to the grid distribution network of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Northern Distribution Company (NEDCo) and Enclave Power.
The user-friendly web portal will enable homes, businesses, industry owners and public facilities to apply for the smart net-meters for both existing and new captive renewable energy installations.
The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, whose speech was read on his behalf at the launch of the system, said the platform was critical to the government's green transition agenda as it would allow for the tracking of every renewable energy system installed in the country.
To that effect, he directed key stakeholders in the power sector, particularly ECG, NEDCo, Energy Commission, and the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), to link the platform to their websites for seamless access by users.
Context
In 2022, the government signed agreements with the African Development Bank (AfDB) - Climate Investment Fund (CIF) and the Swiss government, represented by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), to undertake the Ghana Mini Grid and Solar Photovoltaic Net Metering project under the Scaling up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP).
The objective was to increase access to clean and reliable electricity services and support low carbon socio-economic development in the country.
The project is also to support the electrification of island communities, which make up 15 per cent of the remaining 10 per cent of the population without access to electricity.
Additionally, the project is also to deploy Rooftop Solar PV Net Metered Systems to reduce the government's indebtedness to the power utilities and to reduce the cost of doing business by private sector SMEs.
Those interventions are aimed at the government's target to achieve a renewable energy mix of 10 per cent by 2030.
Project description
The SREP is structured around three main components - mini-grids and solar home systems; net-metering solar PV (NMPV); and project management and supervision.
Mini-grid and Solar Home Systems (SHS) component aims to develop 35 renewable mini-grids standalone solar PV systems for 750 small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), 400 schools, 200 health centres and 100 communities' energy service systems in the Volta Lake region and Northern Region.
The NMPV component aims to scale up the existing Ghana net metering programme and deploy up to 12,000 units of roof-mounted net-metered solar PV systems for public facilities, SMEs and households.
Mr Jinapor said although Ghana’s renewable capacity stood at 280 MW, representing about five per cent of the national mix, there was optimism for seven per cent by 2027 through strategic rollouts.
Good initiative
The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger, said the net-metering application portal was a milestone in the country’s green energy transition.
She added that the Swiss government would continue to support Ghana’s efforts to accelerate access to clean energy for all to enhance sustainable development.
The Country Manager of AfDB, Eyerusalem Fasika, commended the government’s commitment to expanding renewable energy and said that it was a bold step towards fighting climate change.
