GHANA’S BLUE PRINT FOR A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
FUTURE
By
HON. SHERRY AYITTEY,
MINISTER
FOR
ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
GHANA
Renewable Energy
gy in Ghana: Prospects
p
and Challenges
g
Renewable energy resources include:
•Solar Power‐ Photo‐Voltaic ((PV)) and Thermal
•Bio Energy‐ Biomass and Biofuel
•Wind Power
•Hydro Power
•Tidal Power and Wave Power
•Geothermal Power
•Fuel Cells
•Hydrogen generation and storage
Renewable energy is site specific and technology driven.
Renewable energy that can be exploited in Ghana include:
Hydro power (mini, micro) solar, biofuels, wind and energy
derived from waste (agricultural and municipal)
Challenges to Future Energy Development Worldwide
Future energy development faces great challenges due to
•Increasing
Increasing standards of living worldwide
•Demand for cleaner energy associated with less pollution
•Depletion
Depletion of fossil fuel
Without energy, the infrastructure which forms the basis of
development
p
would collapse:
p agriculture,
g
, transportation,
p
,
information technology, communication and most of the
basic needs of life depend on energy.
Ghana’s Energy Challenges
With an expanding economy and growing population, Ghana
faces major challenges in providing: the required amount of
energy with
ith reliability
li bilit and
d sustainability
t i bilit
Ghana’s Energy Challenges
•Wood fuel consumption is expected to rise almost five times from 14 million
t
tones
iin 2000 to
t 66 million
illi tones
t
by
b 2020
•Total petroleum demand is projected to grow from about 1.6 million tones in
2000 to 4.5 million by 2020
• Electricity demand for the domestic market is projected to exceed 4,400 MW in
2020
Renewable Energy Resources in Ghana
Wind Energy
The availability depends on the geographical location of
country relative to the equator:
• Countries located further from the equator are known
to have relatively high wind energy potential compared
to cou
countries
t es ccloser
ose
•Another challenge is the storage of energy produced
duringg blusteryy p
periods
•Wind speeds below 5m/s are considered to be too low
for commercial exploitation
p
•Along the cost of Ghana wind speeds of 3‐9 m/s have
been recorded and could sustain economic exploitation
p
of wind energy
Renewable Energy Resources in Ghana
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy as in energy derived from heat in the earth
crust has been harnessed for more than a century. Ghana has no
known geothermal energy resource
Solar Power
The sun is the most abundant source of energy in the universe
which can be harnessed in the form of heat or light. The challenge
associated with using solar energy especially for a developing
country like Ghana has been the initial cost of procuring the solar
panels.
Biofuel
This is fuel that is derived from biomass. Unlike petroleum, biofuel
is a renewable resource
resource. Uncertainties in the price of fossil fuel
and concern for the environment has precipitated the need for
biofuel. Experiences
xperiences from countries such as Brazil,
ra il, Malaysia and
Germany show show considerable potential for biofuels.
Renewable Energy Resources in Ghana
Fuell Cellll
The technology involves the conversion of chemical hydrogen and
oxygen into water and in the process generate electricity.
electricity This
holds considerable potential for addressing the energy needs of
the world in the future
Challenges to the Development of Renewable Energy in Ghana
Limited
i i d Renewable
bl Energy Resources
Renewable energy sources in Ghana consisting of small and mini‐
microhydro wind,
microhydro,
wind solar
solar, biomass and municipal solid waste would
only be able to supply between 380 and 500 MW delivering
between 2,500 and 3,500 GWh competitively.
p
y
This will form about a tenth of the energy requirement of Ghana
by 2020. More than 10% of renewable energy in the energy mix
would
ld increase
i
the
h cost off generation
i significantly
i ifi
l
Challenges to the Development of Renewable Energy in Ghana
(Continue)
•The potential of generating grid electricity from Solar PV is limited
by capital rather than resource.
•Wind may have the largest capacity for development among the
options
ti
and
d has
h the
th potential
t ti l off contributing
t ib ti significantly
i ifi tl tto grid
id
power by about 200‐300 MW producing 600 GWh
Cost per Kilowatt Hour
One of the critical challenges to the adoption of renewable energy
sources is the cost per unit to consumers compared with energy
from other sources (fossil fuels).
•The
Th costt off grid
id connected
t d solar
l energy per kWh iis over US$0
US$0.30
30
compared to US$ 0.04/kWh
The cost of a solar panel facility in Ghana is about US$ 7000/kW
•The
compared to US$500‐1000 for a gas fired thermal power plant
Challenges to the Development of Renewable Energy
Investment Risk
The volatility in the pricing of oil and gas on the international
market increases the risk of investment in renewable energy
f iliti
facilities.
Ad
drop iin h
hydrocarbon
d
b prices
i
erodes
d enthusiasm
th i
for
f
investment in renewable energy sector
Competing Technologies
There is intense competition to achieve hegemony within the sub
sectors of the renewable energy market. In biofuels, lobbyists for a
corn‐based solution vie with those championing cellulose, ethanol,
bi di l Within
biodiesel.
Withi the
th solar
l market,
k t concentrating
t ti solar
l power
systems compete with the much more popular photovoltaic
systems
Challenges to the Development of Renewable Energy
(Continue)
Not In Myy Backyard
y
Syndrome
y
Renewable energy although provide less pollution compared to
energy from fossil fuel, there have been significant backlash from
communities
i i regarding
di the
h constructing
i off ffacilities
ili i to produce
d
renewable energy.
Intermittent Nature of Renewable Energy and Storage Difficulties
Many renewable energy sources are often dismissed because they
can not be stored and also because they are intermittent.
Constraints to Biofuel Development
The development of an alternative to existing fuel requires policy
di
directives
i
and
d strategies.
i
The main constraints are: Feedstock availability, local processing
capacity technology development relating to end use,
capacity,
use consumer
acceptance of new fuel and cost competitiveness
Challenges to the Development of Renewable Energy
(Continue)
Feedstock for Biofuel Production
Diff
Different
t ffeedstock
d t k are used
d ffor biofuel
bi f l production
d ti in
i diff
differentt
countries. The general trend is that countries choose feedstock
plants which are already being produced on large scales locally and
which have other commercial value other than the production of
fuel.
In Ghana, Palm oil, Jatropha curcus and Sugar cane offer significant
advantages for biofuel production.
Cost Competitiveness of Biofuel
The biofuel market worldwide is not well developed and biofuels
are not competitive even with crude oil at US$73.00 per barrel.
The global market for biofuel is politically driven and relies on tax
rebates.
Conclusion
Renewable Energy can be harnessed to support and supplement
conventional
ti
l energy supply.
l H
However, significant
i ifi t cost,
t technology
t h l
and attitudinal barriers need to be surmounted before any
meaningful penetration could be achieved.
THANK YOU
.
Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology
(MEST)
MEST
Mandate
The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology is mandated by government to
supportt national
ti
l socio‐economic
i
i development
d l
t goals
l ffor th
the country
t tto attain
tt i middle‐
iddl
income status through the promotion of science, technology and innovation, human
settlement planning and management as well as sustainable management of the
environment at all levels of society and in all sectors of the
economy.
Institutions
Town and Country
Planning
Department
(TCPD)
Environmental
Protection Agency
(EPA)
Councilil ffor
C
Scientific and
Industrial
Research (CSIR)
Ghana Atomic
Energy
Commission
(GAEC)