In the wake of the rising cost of fossil fuels to generate energy, coupled with a gradual shift to the use of renewable energy sources, the need for countries to redirect their policies towards areas has become pronounced.

Consequently, stakeholders in the renewable energy sector want the government to prioritise the use of solar energy using its funding powers to show the way.

They believe that government-funded projects deliberately using solar energy can help to drive the adoption of solar solutions within the commercial sector.

The call, backed by research conducted by the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has revealed that such a move by the government will boost the country’s shift towards sustainable energy.

Titled “Scaling up distributed solar PV adoption in Ghana: a focus on the commercial sector (Real Estate)”, the research examined the barriers and enablers/opportunities of distributed solar generation adoption in Ghana’s commercial sector and developed a concrete set of recommendations for scaling up adoption.

Speaking at a dissemination workshop in Accra on Wednesday to share findings from the research, the Director of Brew-Hammond Energy Centre at KNUST, Prof. David Ato Quansah, said, “It is important that the government leads the way. The government is a huge entity with its agencies, so if government projects are integrating solar, then it gives the technology credibility boost.

We are happy to hear that the government intends to introduce solar at the basic and senior high schools. Imagine these schools with solar power.”

He explained that as part of efforts to boost the adoption of solar across the country, his outfit was collaborating with the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA) to ensure that solar becomes more accessible and widespread in residential and commercial properties.

Key findings

The findings revealed that real estate businesses have limited awareness of government policies on renewable energy, which creates a knowledge gap and poses challenges to the effective promotion and implementation of these policies.

However, despite the limited awareness of policies, the research said there is a high level of knowledge regarding distributed solar energy within the real estate sectors. 

It also revealed that real estate businesses were slow to explore the long-term benefits of solar PV technology, which makes it difficult for businesses to recognise the potential cost savings.

“The government has introduced a number of renewable energies (RE) policies, but the rate of adoption remains low.

This underscores the need to redouble efforts to provide innovative financing mechanisms and increase awareness campaigns, among others,” the research said.
 

Infrastructure projects

The Director for Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transitions, Mahu, said Ghana's renewable energy sector was experiencing significant growth with multiple initiatives set to transform the country's power infrastructure.

To expand the country's rooftop solar programme, he said the Ministry has secured 12,000 smart meters as part of its distributed renewable energy programme, with the first batch of 4,000 units expected to arrive by the end of Q2 2024. 

According to him, the meters are currently undergoing factory acceptance testing.

Commitment

For his part, the Executive Secretary for the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), Samuel D. K. Amegayibor, emphasised the growing significance of sustainability in the energy sector and how GREDA has been actively engaging with its members on energy-saving initiatives, particularly the potential of solar energy in residential buildings.

He explained that buildings contribute to about 40 per cent of climate change-related issues; therefore, there is a pressing need to turn the challenge into an opportunity by using solar systems.

GREDA opened to initiatives that aim to ensure that the real estate sector contributes meaningfully to the fight against climate change. 

“We are committed to doing everything within our capacity to make a difference, " he added.