CALL FOR PROPOSALS
GRID CONNECTED WIND AND SOLAR PV ELECTRICITY
SUPPLY SYSTEM PILOT PROJECT (PHASE II)
October 2011
GRID CONNECTED SOLAR PV AND WIND PILOT PROJECT
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
1. BACKGROUND
The Energy Commission is a government institution established by the Energy Commission
Act, 1997, (Act 541) with the mandate to develop and manage the utilisation of energy
resources in Ghana, advice on energy policy and regulate energy development.
The Energy Commission manages the Energy Fund part of which it intends to use to leverage
public and private investments towards the development and utilisation of renewable energy
resources in Ghana. Under the current programme the EC intends to offer financial support to
leverage investments by Ghanaian businesses, institutions and individuals that seek to invest in
high quality renewable energy projects that target harnessing wind and solar energy in Ghana.
The Commission intends to support the installation and commissioning into operation of grid
connected renewable energy systems in Ghana (at least 100kWp of solar PV and wind) as part
of its Programme of Activities (POA) to mitigate Climate Change and also to integrate
Renewable Energy into the national energy mix.
The Energy Commission is pleased to announce the second cycle of funding from the Energy
fund to support investments in wind and solar PV systems in the Northern, Upper East, Upper
West and Volta Regions of Ghana.
This document provides an overview of the project proposal call and the salient features and
detailed guidance about the process, formats as well as guidance on filling out an application
form. The forms are available at the Energy Commission, Frema House, Spintex Road and also
at www.energycom.gov.gh
2. PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE, KEY FEATURES AND PRIORITIES
The objective is to promote greater uptake and integration of renewable energy into the
national energy mix to help address climate change, enhance energy security and improve
access to clean energy.
Proposals on wind and solar PV systems will be considered from public and private
institutions, partnerships and individuals who are prepared to contribute at least 60% of the
total (hardware) cost of the installations.
The EC expects to support projects using funds available from the Energy Fund. Priority will
be given to the following types of proposals:
 Proposals that seek to install grid connected solar PV, wind or a combination of wind
and solar PV systems, equipped with reversible metering systems and monitoring
system.
 Proposals for which the proponents are prepared to bear the full cost of hardware within 3
months of notification of project approval.
 Priority will be given to proposals that provide the highest amount of leverage to EC’s
funds.
 Only installations in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Volta Regions will
be considered.
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 EC will not support consultancies or project preparation or development consultation and
documentation.
 EC will support only hardware or infrastructure costs.
 EC will support only projects that will install reversible meters that record electricity
fed into the grid.
 EC will support only projects that will install a monitoring system for recording and
storing data such as energy production, voltages, etc.
3. IMPORTANT DATES
The timetable for the second project support cycle is given in the table below. The final list of
selected projects will be announced in December, 2011 and implementation is expected to
begin in the same month.
Table 1: Timetable
Milestone
Date
1
Submission of proposals
25th November, 2011
2
Publication of results
12th December , 2011
3
Project implementation begins
19th December, 2011
4
Project Commissioning
16th April, 2012
5
Energy Commission financing due
25th April, 2012
4. PROJECTS TO BE SUPPORTED
 All proposals should address the EC priorities and the relevant technical specifications
and standards to be short-listed and considered further.
 All hardware have to meet the minimum standards and specifications approved for Solar
PV panels, wind generators, inverters and regulators as approved by the Ghana Standards
Board, summarised in Appendices A, B, C and D.
 Technical specifications and standards for inverters and meters approved by the Ghana
Standards Board and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern
Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) into whose grid the system shall be connected
(see Appendices C and D).
 All applicants should consider both the EC and ECG/NEDCO conditions while developing
their proposals.
In line with its new strategy and to facilitate the deployment of grid-connected renewable
energy technologies, the EC intends to support projects developed and sponsored by Ghanaian
institutions (public and private) and partnerships. It is envisaged that the EC will support as
many projects as funds are available subject to meeting the quality requirements.
5. SELECTION PROCESS
The selection of projects for funding shall be based on the following:
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
Proposals shall specify the level of funding available from the proponent. The
percentage contribution from the proponent shall be one of the major criteria in the
selection process.

Proposals shall be accompanied by the technical specifications of the power generation
equipment (PV or wind generator, inverter), single line circuit diagram of the
installations.

Only proposals specifying equipment that meet or exceed the minimum Ghana
Standards or standards adopted for installations by the Energy Commission, ECG and
NEDCO shall be selected as summarised in Appendices A, B, C and D.

A full feasibility study report of the project shall be submitted in accordance with the
guidelines provided in Appendix E.

Proposals from government or public institutions shall be accompanied by a declaration
signed by the head of the institution (Minister, Chief Executive, and Chief Director)
affirming that the institution shall maintain and operate the systems.

Proposals from private institutions or partnerships shall be accompanied by a
declaration signed by the Managing Director/Partner allowing the Energy Commission
to take possession of the hardware in the event that it falls into disuse.

Proposals shall be submitted before the deadline indicated in Section 3.

The subsequent selection will be carried out by a Committee made up of representatives
of the Energy Commission, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, Electricity
Company of Ghana and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company.

Supported projects shall be implemented over a 3 month period from December 2011.
All proposals that are incomplete will be automatically rejected. The application Forms
provided in Appendix F are also available at the Energy Commission website
www.energycom.gov.gh.
SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
All proposals will be submitted by hand to:
The Executive Secretary,
Energy Commission
Frema House,
Plot No. 40,
Spintex Road.
Accra.
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Appendix A
Standards for Solar PV
Labelling of PV panels
Each module shall be clearly and permanently marked with the following information:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Name of manufacturer (supplier) or trademark
Serial number
All terminals indicating polarity and function of the terminals
Basic parameters (short circuit current, open circuit voltage, fill factor efficiency,
nominal power in watts, etc.).
(e) Guaranteed minimum power
(f) Manufacture date
Expected lifetime
The expected lifetime of the modules shall be at least 20 years.
Warranty
The module warranty will provide a specified minimum power output for a minimum period of
10 years
Bypass Diodes
If they are supplied, they shall be included in the PV module connection box such that they can
be replaced independently without replacing the module.
Climatic and environmental conditions
The PV module shall operate under the following environmental/climatic conditions:
a) Relative humidity of 30-95%
The external components shall also withstand the following conditions:
b) Ambient temperature (in the shade) of between 00C- 500C
c) Wind speeds less than 120km/h
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Appendix B
Standards for Wind Turbine
The recommended performance specifications of the following should be clearly and
permanently marked or provided on the wind turbine
(a) Cut-in Wind Speed
(b) Cut-out Wind Speed
(c) Maximum Power
(d) Maximum Voltage
(e) Maximum Current
(f) Overspeed Control
(g) Power Form
(h) Rotor swept area
(i) The Power curve,
(j) An AEP curve,
(k) The Noise Label, and
(l) The measured sound pressure levels
(m) The tower top design loads
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Appendix C
Standards for Inverters
Single or three phase inverter
Inverters mentioned in this standard will be single phase or three phase solid state inverters
intended for conversion of direct current to 230Vac, to be used for operating common AC
appliances
Electrical Protection within the Inverter
The electrical protection of the inverter shall comply with existing requirements in Ghana.
Where a plug and socket are used the inverter shall be electrically protected against reverse
polarity supply connection.
Electrical Performance
The inverter shall be able to handle loads with a power factor from 0.6 to 1 lagging.
Label
Each inverter shall be clearly and permanently marked with the following information:
(a) Manufacturer’s name
(b) Polarity and function of all terminals
(c) Function of all LEDs (e.g. on, low voltage, overload)
(d) The type number
(e) The inverter input d.c voltage
(f) Output current
(g) Output voltage
(h) Date of manufacture
(i) Serial number
Electromagnetic interference
The inverter shall when tested for electromagnetic interference, comply with the requirements
of test procedures specified in IEC 61000-4-3. The inverter shall not interfere with radio signal
reception when a receiver is held at 3m distance.
Electrostatic Discharge
For electrostatic discharge, the inverter shall when tested satisfy the requirements of test
procedures specified in IEC 61000-4-2
Utility inverter
Utility (AC) Output
Operating Voltage
230 VAC ±10%
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Number of Phases
Frequency
Power Factor at Rated Output
Harmonic Current Distortion at Rated Output
Other Characteristics
Peak Efficiency
Ambient Temperature
Humidity
Audible Noise
Three
50 Hz = +1.0/-1.25 Hz
> 0.98
< 5% RMS
96%
0ºC to 50ºC
0 - 100%
53 dB
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Appendix D
Specification for Polyphase Transformer Operated Bi-Directional Static Meter
Meters matching with requirements of other national or international standards, which ensure
equal or better performance than the standards mentioned below, shall also be considered.
Sr.
No.
1.
Standard No.
2.
IEC 62053-22
And
IEC 62053-23
IEC 62052-11
Title
Electricity metering equipment (a.c.) – General requirements tests and test
conditions
Part-11: Metering equipment
Electricity metering equipment (a.c.) – Particular requirements
Part 21: Static meters for active and reactive energy (class o.2S,0.5S and 1.0
respectively)
Climatic Conditions
The equipment to be supplied against this specification shall be suitable for satisfactory
continuous operation under the following tropical conditions:
a)
Maximum ambient air temperature in shade.
45 degree Celsius
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
Minimum ambient temperature in shade.
Maximum relative humidity.
Minimum relative humidity
Height above mean sea level
Dust storms likely to occur
Average number of thunder storm days per annum.
Average number of tropical monsoon (Conditions) per annum.
-5 degree Celsius
95%.
10%.
Up to 1000 meters.
October to February
40
4 months
i)
Average rain fall
10 cm to 100 cm
Supply System
Rated Voltage ( Un)
Rated current ( In)
3x 240 –phase to neutral (3-phase, 4- wire for direct voltage
connection)
3x 5 Amps (Connected through CT)
Power Factor Range
The meter shall be suitable for full power factor range from zero (lagging) through unity to
zero (leading).
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Power Supply Variation
The meter should be suitable for working with following supply system variations:
Specified operating range
Limit range of operation
Frequency
0.7 to 1.1 Un.
0.6 to 1.2 Un.
50 Hz +/- 5 %. (Reference frequency 50 Hz.)
Accuracy
The static meter shall meet all accuracy requirements as per IEC. The required accuracy class
which shall not be affected by harmonic components of either voltage or current is as follows:
Meter
Accuracy class
Active unit
0.5S for 4-wire with direct connected voltages (240V)
Reactive unit
1.0
The accuracy of the meter shall not drift with time.
Power Consumption
i. Voltage circuit:
The active and apparent power consumption in each voltage circuit including the power
supply of meter at reference voltage, reference temperature and reference frequency shall not
exceed 2 Watt per phase and 10 VA per phase respectively.
ii. Current circuit:
The apparent power taken by each current circuit at rated
reference temperature shall not exceed 1 VA per phase.
current, reference frequency and
Starting Current
The meter shall start and continue to register at 0.1% of In and unity power factor.
Maximum Current
The rated maximum current of the meter shall be 200% of In.
Variation of voltage
The Variation of voltage at which meter functions normally is +20% to -30% of Un.
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Phase to Phase withstand capability
Meter should work even if phase supply is connected to the neutral. Meter should continuously
withstand 540V for 5 minutes
Marking Of Meter
The basic markings on the meter name plate shall be as follows: i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
ix.
x.
Manufacturer’s name and trade mark.
Type Designation.
Number of phases and wires.
Serial number.
Year of manufacture.
Reference voltage.
Rated secondary current of CT (5 A).
Maximum secondary current.
Meter constant (imp/kWh, kVArh).
Class index of meter (active and reactive).
Warranty
The warranty should be at least 12 months from the date of installation or 18 months from the
date of supply
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Appendix E
Guidelines for Feasibility Studies
The following should be covered in your feasibility studies:





Cost of implementation (Hardware)
Operation and maintenance
Cost per kW installed
Cost per kWh
Environmental and social impacts
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Appendix F
Energy Fund Application Form
Bidding No:
Project Ref:
(Energy Commission use only)
ENERGY FUND PROJECT BIDDING FORM
Basic Information
a. Project Title:
b. Location (Town/City,
District, Region)
Costs & Timings
a. Total Cost of Project inc. Co-funding (GH¢)
b. Start Date (dd/mm/yy)
c. End Date: (dd/mm/yy)
Contact Details
Corporate Bodies
a. Applicant’s Contact Person (note 2)
b. Email Address
c. Phone No.
d. Name of Organisation/Entity (note 3)
e. Contact Person at Implementing Org.
f. Email Address
g. Phone No.
d. Fax No.
h. Fax No.
Individuals
a. Applicant’s Contact Person
b. Email Address
c. Phone No.
d. Name of Individual (note 3)
e. Contact Person for the Project
f. Email Address
g. Phone No.
d. Fax No.
h. Fax No.
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Summary of Project Details
a. Project Purpose (note 4)
b. Summary of Project (less than 100 words) (note 5)
Remember:
 Target
 Main activities
 Outputs
 Impact
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Full Project Details
Full details of the project (maximum equivalent of 2 sides of A4) (note 6)
Please complete each heading or the form may be returned
a. Background to Project (including experience of project implementers, stakeholders and situation in
host region/district)
b. Main Activities
c. Outputs to be delivered
d. Exit Strategy and Sustainability
e. Longer Term Impact
f. Risk Management
h. How will this project be monitored
h. How will this project be evaluated
i. Energy Security Impact (Y/N)
j. Environnemental Impact (Y/N)
k. Other (optional)
l. Publicity
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Budgeting
a. Breakdown of Project Costs (GH¢) with Total (note 7):
Details of Cost
a Hardware Cost
i) Solar modules
ii) Mounting structure/systems
iii) Inverter
iv) Reversible Meters
v) AC Distribution
vi) Installation materials (eg. Cables, earthing device,
fuses, installation boards)
vii) Data collection device ( eg. Sunny Webbox)
b
Cost of Installation
c
Administrative Cost
Other
(Please
Specify)
Amount (GH¢)
Eg. Cost of Land (if applicable)
Total Cost
Notes:
1. Figures should represent the most likely spend. Be realistic as most programme budgets have
historically been over estimated.
2. This should be the person who has day-to-day responsibility for the running of the
organisation/entity. This could be the DCE/CEO. You must include contact details e.g. phone, fax
and/or e-mail).
3. This is the organisation/entity/individual to which funds are to be paid, i.e. company, N.G.O.
academy or government dept. You must include contact details e.g. phone, fax and/or e-mail.
4. Please state here what you are trying to achieve your long-term aim. This should be no more than a
sentence.
5. This should include the main activities, identify the beneficiaries or target audience and focus on
the outputs and long term impact for delivery of one or more of the Energy Fund’s objectives.
6. Full Details of the Project (only to be completed if requested following the first round of the
bidding procedure). Please expand on the 100 word summary, include the main activities and
outputs (i.e. the project deliverables). Please use bullet points covering project activities, facts and
figures. We would expect to see the following:
Background to the project
Include the necessary background information, including experience and involvement of project
implementers, stakeholders and situation in host region/district, that will help the decision making
process.
Main activities
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Include the main actions and activities that will be involved in the delivery of Energy Fund objectives.
There should be sufficient detail to allow someone who is not familiar with the project to quickly grasp
what is involved.
Outputs to be delivered
An output is a measurable deliverable, such as a report, survey, design, a new organisation, an event,
number of people trained etc. Include both short and medium term outputs and how these relate to
Energy Fund activities. For some small projects these may be the same.
Exit strategy and sustainability
The exit strategy is the way we will withdraw from the project (ideally ensuring sustainability of the
project aim); with minimum negative impact to the various stakeholders. Sustainability, in this context,
is ensuring that the benefits of the project will continue after the funded activity ceases.
Longer term impact
The predicted effect of the project on the stakeholders in the longer term, as it reaches its conclusion
and the potential for leveraging resources for scale-up an/or replication of the project.
Risk management
Risk management, the planned and systematic approach to the identification, quantification and control
of risk should be a priority. Identify the significant risks to which your project is exposed. Then decide
on measures to reduce the likelihood, or limit the impact, of these risks; in order to improve the
probability of the project succeeding. You may wish to introduce a contingency factor based on this risk
profile.
How this project will be monitored.
There will need to be some form of external monitoring process. Please specify how your project will
be monitored. Where the bid has been submitted through a regional/district administration they will
visit or check progress on project through it’s lifetime. The depth and frequency of this should be
proportionate to cost, duration and sensitivity of the project.
How this project will be evaluated
How the success, or otherwise, of this project will be measured against its aim at its completion. All
projects should comprise an element of evaluation of the impact of the activity but, as with other project
management actions, the degree of evaluation should be proportionate to the size of the project.
For smaller-scale projects, the focus will be on getting structured, usable feedback from those who were
directly exposed to a particular activity. This may be a feedback questionnaire, follow-up telephone
interviews or informal focus group. For larger events there should be an attempt to evaluate whether
the activity has had an impact among its wider target audience. In some cases you may need to involve
some professional opinion research to measure perceptions before and after the activity.
For some small event projects, robust media evaluation (analysis of demographic reach, prominence
and tone of press articles and TV and radio features) may well be sufficient evaluation.
The Energy Fund Coordinator will develop procedures for monitoring and evaluation in the coming
year and your project may be asked to participate in the piloting of this.
Analysis of Human Rights and Environmental Impact
Are there significant environmental and/or Human Rights impacts? We need to be careful that these
‘costs’ do not outweigh the benefits.
Note on human rights impact assessment:
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No projects supported by the Energy Fund should have a detrimental impact on human rights and must
support democracy and/or good governance wherever it is appropriate. Clearly the emphasis here is on
projects which are not specifically about these issues.
Project managers should assess the actual human rights situation and identify key problems in the
region or district. Next they should identify the categories of rights that might be affected by their
project. For example freedoms - expression, religion, association or movement; rule of law - policies
and practices of legal and administrative entities, the conduct of public officials and restrictive and
punitive measures; economic and social rights - including labour rights and conditions, health and
education.
A risk type analysis should be carried out enabling the project to be adjusted if a negative impact on
human rights is likely.
Note on environment impact assessment:
Sustainable development is a strategic policy priority for Ghana. Project bidders must consider the
environmental impact of their work at the proposal stage so that opportunities and risks can be
appropriately integrated into the project design.
Please consider both the direct and indirect impacts of the project, for example:
What will be the effects of the project on the local environment?
Consider water supplies, drainage, waste disposal, air quality, livelihoods, emissions, soil
damage etc.
What materials and energy supplies will be required, now and long term?
Wherever possible, you should use renewable resources and environmentally protective materials. What
example are you setting to the local economy/policy makers?
All projects should aim to publicly support the strategic policy priorities of the Energy Fund and
demonstrate awareness of the value of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
What will be the secondary effects of the project?
Significant environmental impact can occur much further down the line – for example: building a much
needed access road may result in forest encroachment, soil erosion and changes to local livelihoods;
changes in taxation policy may result in environmentally damaging business opportunities.
How much travel will the project involve?
Aviation and car emissions have a high impact on air quality and contribute to global warming and
climate change.
All potential direct and indirect impacts must be considered and alternatives, mitigating actions or
justifications recorded. Please show in this section full details of your environmental impact
assessment of the project.
Other (optional)
Anything else that will help the decision making process. You may attach supplementary information, if
appropriate including details of any previous involvement in Energy Fund activities or energy project
implementation.
Publicity
Will the Energy Fund funding be acknowledged? If not, why?
7.



Please provide full details of costs (GH¢), consider the following:
Personnel Costs: (Technical assistance, secondees etc)
Travel and Accommodation
Capital (e.g. IT)
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

8.
Administration/management (telephone, fax, room rental etc) ideally this should be no more than
10% of the total
Any other costs (e.g. you or your colleagues might expect to incur travel and accommodation
expenses when monitoring projects).
Please give details of matching funds:
Source of funding
Amount pledged (GH¢)
Is funding guaranteed?
Please give details of ‘in kind’ support:
It is not necessary to provide an expanded list of unsuccessful approaches.




9.
The monthly profile for the current year is essential. Project managers will be required to submit
monthly returns to the relevant agencies. These returns will be required to show any variance from
the profiled budget.
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