SMEs urged to adopt solar to cut energy cost

The Deputy Coordinator of the Ghana Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) being implemented by the Ministry of Energy, Seth Mahu, has called on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana to adopt solar as a source of power to reduce their energy cost.

He mentioned that Ghanaian businesses could enjoy additional benefits if they used solar energy such as decreased production cost, increased competitiveness and improved carbon footprint to meet regulatory standards.

Mr Mahu was speaking to journalists last Monday during the opening of a one-week training programme for staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) at the Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Centre near Tema.

Businesses

He urged Ghanaian businesses to harness solar energy, which is a clean power source, environmentally friendly, easy to maintain and the cheapest form of power in the world.

As part of the processes for the installation of the net-metered solar PV component under the SREP, ECG and NEDCo have been mandated to certify the solar Photovoltaic (PV) installation and issue a certificate of verification to the NMPV Implementation Unit.

The objective of the training programme was to provide basic know-how to at least 180 technical staff of ECG and NEDCo on the installation and commissioning of solar PV systems and equip the technical staff with the requisite installation and commissioning protocols of the NMPV Project.

Participants would be trained in the basics of solar PV and battery and all other components: grid-tied inverters and network integration, protections and safety protocols as well as the commissioning of solar PV systems.

Mr Mahu explained that the SREP Mini grid and Net metering with Solar PV project involves the development of 35mini grids in the Volta Lake region and the deployment of 12,000 units of roof-mounted net-metered solar PV systems for public institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and selected households within the ECG and NEDCo) networks.

The project will also involve the deployment of up to 12,000 stand-alone solar home systems within the lakeside and island communities of Ghana.

Component

He said the overall project cost was estimated at $85 million. It comprises the Mini grid component and the Net metering component financed through the African Development Fund Climate Investment Fund (CIF) with counterpart funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

He said the objectives of the SREP Ghana were in line with the nation’s efforts to achieve the target of universal electrification by 2024 and increase renewable energy (RE) penetration to 10 per cent in the generation mix by 2030.

The Director of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the Energy Commission, Kofi Agyarko, mentioned that over 100 international standards on solar PV and wind systems have been adopted by Ghana Standards Authority and about three regulations on minimum efficiency performance labelling and standards for solar panels, batteries and inverters had been put in place by the commission through the Ministry of Energy.

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency is the implementing agency of the NMPV Component under SREP.  

That, he explained, was to ensure that the right solar PV products which met minimum performance efficiency levels were being used under the NMPV Project to support its smooth implementation.

Solar

The Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Ghana, Dr Simone Haeberli, said the Ghana Solar Photovoltaic-based Net-Metering Project had real potential to positively support the economy and the people of Ghana, as Switzerland’s support under the SREP was meant to encourage SMEs and households to invest in solar installations on their premises.

She said Ghana was the only country in Africa that was ready for solar PV net metering with net-metering and expressed the hope that other African countries would learn from Ghana’s renewable energy agenda.