The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition is actively championing green energy transition as part of efforts to combat climate change.
Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, said the various initiatives being undertaken by the Government and other players in the energy sector were geared towards a more sustainable energy future.
The Minister said this in his half year report on Ghana’s energy sector when he took his turn at the Government Accountability Series press conference at the Presidency, in Accra.
The Government Accountability Series is being organised by the Presidency Communications Bureau as part of efforts to deepen transparency and accountability in governance.
Mr Jinapor said the Ministry mandate had been expanded with a focus on shifting the nation’s energy sector and economy towards sustainability and long-term economic growth underpinned by renewable energy.
This, he said, includes promoting renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, mini-hydros, and other new forms of renewable energy to ensure that we have a just and equitable transition to a low-carbon future.
Mr Jinapor noted that in this regard, the ministry had launched the Ghana Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP), which was funded with an $85 million grant from the African Development Bank, Climate Investment Fund, SECO, and the government of Ghana.
He said the project aims to deploy 12,000 net-meter solar PV systems across homes, construct 35 mini-grids to supply electricity to 70,000 people in 47 island communities, and ensure that we supply 1,450 solar home systems for off- remote grid households and public facilities.
He said the Ministry was also facilitating the development of a 200-megawatt solar project at various locations across the country.
The Minister said in addition, a 25-megawatt floating solar plant was being built at the Bui Power Station to bring the total capacity to 30 megawatts, with the floaters being manufactured locally in line with our local content participation policy.
He said the Volta River Authority (VRA) was also developing a 30-megawatt floating solar facility at the Kpong Hydro Reservoir and was being funded by KFW.
“What we are seeking to do is that we are deploying a lot of solar panels to feed into the grid,” Mr Jinapor said.
“So, daytime will depend on these solar panels, and at night, we’ll switch to hydropower so that the hydro dams more or less become like battery storage,” he added.
He noted that in that way, they could bring about longevity in terms of how they manage the nation’s hydro dams.
Mr Jinapor said as part of efforts to increase local content and local participation in the renewable energy sector, they had gone into partnership with the International Solar Alliance to train Ghanaians in solar energy technologies, and this would certainly create a lot of jobs.
He said they were working very hard to also ensure that they realize the Renewable Energy Authority Act; declaring that they had made significant progress, and that they would be going to Parliament for approval.
To address the funding gap and to ensure that we achieve our objective, we have established a Renewable Energy and Green Transition Fund so that we can leverage that fund to raise capital to invest massively in renewable energy.
He said they were also working to ensure that they distribute 450,000 LPG cookstove to increase access to clean cooking in Ghana.
Touching on streetlights, Mr Jinapor said as part of their street lighting project, he was happy to announce that they had commenced the installation of all-in-one solar streetlights.
“We intend to do 23,500 units covering a distance of 700 kilometers so that gradually we can take solar as the main focus and move our streetlights away from the grid,” he said.
The Minister said the streetlights depend largely on the grid, and unfortunately, these streetlights come on during the peak period.
He said the difference between the peak period and the off-peak period could range from around 400 to 600 megawatts, and these streetlights alone account for more than 200 megawatts.
“And so, if we can take them off and put them on solar systems, it means that we’ll be shaving off about 200 to 300 megawatts, and that will contribute significantly towards efficiency in the sector,” the Minister said.