Contents

Solar Power: a growing industry in Ghana and around the world
How solar power can help Ghana with its generation capacity problem
Opportunities for skilled workers in Ghana’s solar industry
World market: how the solar industry can grow and what to expect
Environmental opportunities for Ghana within the Solar industry

Alternate and renewable energy sources have been on the rise over the past decade around the world with different countries investing in wind, hydro and solar power. Utility-scale solar PV has become a hot contender for the most accessible and used energy source internationally, coming close to wind energy as the second cheapest renewable energy source. A record 93.7 GW—more than the total capacity in 2011 (69 GW)—was added globally in 2017 across 187 countries, bringing the total capacity to 386 GW, led by China, Japan, Germany, the United States, Italy, India, and the United Kingdom. Solar has reached price parity in almost all these markets so far, a good sign for the future of solar renewable energy.

The sun is a source of energy for every living thing on the planet and cannot only contribute to the production of energy and growth in countries that commit to PV solar energy, but create opportunities, jobs and improve the of quality of life. Ghana is ideally positioned to grow its solar industry in a meaningful manner in the future. In countries like Germany the government took initiative to make PV solar financially viable and create an environment for the industry to grow and now it is one of the best producers of solar power in the world.

Germany gets about half the sun that Ghana does and so if the Ghanaian government were to implement law and begin backing the use of solar power in the country the opportunity for rapid growth and renewable energy independence are great. By investing in PV, implementing renewable energy law and financing a levy within the electricity cost of all end clients Ghana could rapidly grow their solar industry. And just as Germany did, by investing in PV when it was expensive, after the boom the prices will drop, and solar energy will become a cheap and sustainable source of energy for the country.

Ghana’s journey to give power to all its citizens has experienced great successes and great obstacles. While the completion of the Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Station allowed for power to be exported to surrounding countries, Ghana itself experienced a large increase in demand for power. The demand increased so much that the Ghanaian government had to open up the electricity market to the private sector in the late 1990s.

Despite this there have been consistent power supply challenges in the country. This can be attributed to the lack of fuel supply, water level problems with Akosombo Dam and the countries dependence on natural gas-powered generation. The government tried a solution to sign PPA contracts for 2,300 MW was on a take-or-pay basis, meaning that the payment is due if the power is used or not. This has led to USD 500 million in costs yearly (2.5 billion Cerdis) in unused electricity.

The introduction of solar energy to the Ghanaian power problem could be a great boon to the country and its people. It would reduce dependence of fossil fuel energy, introduce decentralised supply of energy sources, reduce dependence on Akosombo Dam, reduce transmission loss, reduce energy costs for citizens and create a stable energy supply to help cut demand peaks.

The benefits of solar energy in Ghana are great and would help the government achieve its goal for universal access to electricity. By reducing its dependence on more costly and depleting forms of energy and providing in benefits for purchasing PV electricity via feed-in and net metering, they would create low generation costs and help to undercut the countries generation capacity problem.

A growing solar industry in Ghana means that there will be a gap in the market for the skilled labour required to build, manage and grow the industry. This skilled labour will be technical, marketing, administration and planning as well as opportunities for entrepreneurship and the growth of existing solar companies.

In a recent study it has been estimated that a total of 20 manufacturing job-years and 13 installation job-years are created for each Mega-Watt power (MWp) of solar panels installed. GREEN has seen the fruit of this in South Africa and the coutries involvement in GREEN’s solar academies and courses. The need for high-level quality and professional courses in the PV solar industry is important and GREEN hopes to provide that.

For GREEN, the most important goal is to support your career in the solar industry and make it as easy as possible to find your personal way.

The world market for solar energy is growing rapidly. While Hydropower and Wind power are used as main sources of electricity, these sources can be unpredictable and unreliable. The total energy consumption of the world per year is about 17 000 TWh. In one year, a total of 2.2 TWh of solar radiation can fall on one square kilometre of land. With 15-20% of this radiation being converted into useful energy we would need only 210×250 km² of desert region to have a global energy supply. This information means that a rise in solar power dependence is inevitable and with it the growth of the solar industry world-wide.

GREEN is currently leading a consortium of European solar and storage companies to venture into the Western African markets. We are continuously looking for partners in the industry who would like to enter or establish themselves in an African market using our courses as an entry point and offer different ways of cooperation. We use our experience not only in training but also in wholesale and project development in Africa and Europe to shape and manage (multi-national) projects around renewable energy topics.

Overall, solar power has been in common usage since 2013 and this is growing rapidly with countries like China, Japan, Germany and the United states leading the way. You can join this renewable energy revolution and it can all start here with GREEN.

While currently Ghana is struggling with issues regarding its power supply and regulation of electricity to its citizens there are amply opportunities to improve this while also having a positive effect on the country and its environment. By avoiding making the mistakes that most European countries made in becoming dependent of fossil fuels like coal, Ghana has the opportunity to develop a completely different energy strategy.

From the start Ghana can begin to develop its reliance on renewable forms of energy that are more reliable, like PV solar power. The advantages of this are great as the government can reform the current implementation of energy supply to its citizens and the means of regulation. By connecting the customer with the distribution utility and installing isolation and protection devices citizens can begin using the process of net-metering in powering their homes. This would change the face of the energy economy and be both advantageous for the customer and the distribution utility.

The move to solar would also decrease the overall tax the production of energy has on the environment and create a system that would protect rather than destroy Ghana’s natural environment and its ecosystems. Ghana would also be contributing to the prevention of climate catastrophes and reduce the likelihood of droughts and other environmental challenges brought on by the consumption of fossil fuels.

Ghana is in a prime position to foster a rewarding and empowering solar industry that can carry the country into a future of dependence on renewable energy and universal access to electricity. Is there a market for PV in Ghana, are there PV programmes available, are solutions for every requirement available, does PV have government support and technical and legislative back falls? Yes, to all.

So why wait? Sign-up today and become part of GREEN.

As a result of all the experience we have and our unique approach, you can expect a very high level of quality and professionalism in all our training courses. For us, the most important goal is to support your career in the solar industry and make it as easy as possible to find your personal way.

Sign up today and become part of the GREENetwork!