Ghana’s energy sector will receive a boost when a solar farm being established by Strategic Power Solution (SPS), a private solar panel manufacturing company, comes on stream next year.

The company, together with its partners, will, this year commence the construction of a 50 megawatts (MW) solar generation plant at Bui in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

When completed, the power plant will be the single largest solar generation plant in the country. Currently, the largest generation plant, BXC of China, is producing about 22 MW in the Central Region.

Level of preparation
The Chief Executive Officer of the Strategic Security International System (3SiL), the parent company of SPS, Mr Ofori Boateng, told the Daily Graphic that plans were far advanced for the project to begin this year, with completion scheduled for the end of 2017.

“Almost all the designs are ready and we are still in discussion with our financiers, and this year, God willing, we will commence the construction of the plant, which will come into the pool by next year,” he said.

3SiL is an engineering procurement construction (EPC) conglomerate.

Even though the power mix demands that 500 megawatts come from renewable power generation, currently, Ghana can only boast a little over 22 MW

Mr Boateng said the SPS, in collaboration with the Bui Power Authority, had plans to increase it from 50 to 250 MWs in the next few years.

Climate change and solar
Climate change and operations of galamsey have had tremendous impact on water bodies and limited the country’s capacity to continue to rely on hydroelectric power.

Currently, the country’s generation capacity is 2,125 megawatts (MW).

The Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Plant supplies about 1,020MW of energy, followed by the Bui Dam, which produces 400MW, with the Aboadze Thermal Plant producing 360MW and the Takoradi Thermal Plant 330MW.

Kpong produces 160MW, while the country’s first solar plant at Punga in the Upper East Region produces 2MW, giving the country 2,272MW of combined electricity supply.
Several thermal generation projects, totalling over 1,000MW, are currently at various stages of development by both public and private operators.

These projects include Kpone (Alstom), Sunon Asogli expansion, Takoradi 2 combined-cycle expansion, CENIT/TT1PP expansion and Takoradi 3 expansion.

However, Ghana continues to face unreliable and inadequate power supply, despite the generation capacity made up of about 50 per cent hydro and 50 per cent thermal.

This year, the public expressed concern about power outages, with many entertaining fears that the country was returning to the days of load shedding, otherwise called ‘dumsor’.

At the time when the public is concerned about the future of energy supply, nature has blessed the country with amazing supply of sunshine which can be used to produce solar energy.

The geographic position of Ghana is such that the country enjoys about five to eight hours of sunlight a day.

It is in the area of utilising sunshine to generate energy that makes the project being established by the SPS very significant.

Many have raised concerns about the cost of solar energy but Mr Boateng thinks otherwise.

Reliability and affordability
Contrary to the perception that solar energy was expensive, Mr Boateng said it was rather economical looking at it from the long-term benefits.

“When you install any solar product, you have the benefit to enjoy for the next 25 years without having to worry about any extra or monthly bills. Apart from that, you also enjoy two years warranty with any solar products purchased at SPS,” he said.

Mr Boateng said the company’s focus was to make solar energy the most reliable and affordable source of power for Ghanaian institutions, businesses and households.

He said the unfortunate thing was that people did not consider the cumulative cost of the monthly bills that they paid over the years compared to the cost of solar power.

Other partners
Mr Boateng said SPS was in discussions with government institutions and private firms to increase solar energy usage and reduce the pressure on the national grid.

“We are in talks with institutions such as the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Volta River Authority (VRA), the Ghana Cocoa Board, the Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat, the Energy Commission, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and other organisations to develop solar products tailored to their needs”. he said.

He, however, explained that the company was still working to provide the necessary details to finalise what exactly they could do together.

Mr Boateng said the SPS was also in partnership with the Energy Commission to carry out a roof top project, a concept 3SiL developed as far back as 2008.

Businesses
Presently, most Ghanaian-based companies, especially those in the manufacturing sector, are relying heavily on the national grid to power their operations.

With the country’s energy situation yet to be fully addressed, these companies are struggling to keep up with the demands of the market.

Asked what SPS could do to address the challenge, Mr Ofori said SPS was ready to hold discussions with any public or private firm that needed a specific energy demand to enhance their operations.

“We have a team of experts at SPS who will come and assess the energy needs of companies or institutions and develop a specific energy product to support their operations.

He said SPS had the capacity to produce all sizes of installation with products, including mini/micro/hybrid grid systems.

“SPS produces Tier one solar panels, the highest in terms of quality. We also supply and installs off-grid and grid systems, photovoltaic systems and PV street lights,” Mr Ofori said.

Touching on the standard of the company the product it produces, he said “It’s been International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)/TOEFL certified”.

“We are also pursuing Intergrated Management System (IMS) certifications” he added.

Tax incentives
Mr Boateng said subsidies and tax rebate for local manufacturers could be crucial in the provision of renewable power supply to boost the power mix demand in the country.

He said currently, the company operated at a full cost by importing its raw materials, which was affecting the cost of the products of the company.

“Government subsidies are great only when it is given to the right person,’’ Mr Boateng said.