Sector Report
Business Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Ghana
April, 2015
RVO.nl |
Business Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Ghana
Colophon
Sector Report on
Business
Opportunities for
Renewable Energy
in Ghana
Composed for :
Contact :
Telephone:
Embassy of The Kingdom of The Netherlands.
Gladys Ofei
Economic Section; ACC-EA@minbuza.nl
T: +233 21 214350
F: +233 21 773655
E: gladys.ofei@minbuza.nl
w. www.nlembassy.accra.org
With cooperation
from
Fred Smiet, Marnix Segers
Date
April 2015
Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) is a department of the Dutch Ministry of Economic
Affairs that implements government policy for sustainability, innovation, and international
business and cooperation. It is the contact point for businesses, educational institutions and
government bodies for information and advice, financing, networking and regulatory matters.
Corporate Social Responsibility
The Dutch government supports CSR in international business and expects companies to
operate according to the Guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD), see also http://www.oecdguidelines.nl/. More information on CSR and
international business can be found on http://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/internationaalondernemen/mvo (in Dutch).
© 2014 RVO.nl
Although information provided by RVO.nl is based on reliable data, RVO.nl can not accept any
liability for its accuracy.
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Table of Contents
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
Summary
General Information: overview of relevant government plans and
Business Climate
Country Energy Situation
3.1 Overview
3.2 Renewable Energy Market
3.3 Policy Framework for renewable energy
3.3.1 Policies and Strategies for Renewable Energy Promotion
3.3.2 Main actors
3.3.3 The Regulatory Framework
3.4 Potential of Renewable Energy Sources
3.4.1 Biomass/Biogas
3.4.2 Solar energy
3.4.3 Wind Power
3.4.4 Hydro Power: small and large
Market Risks and Opportunities
4.1 Investment opportunities in Renewable Energy
4.2 Energy efficiency and demand-side management
Relevant Contacts and References
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Business Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Ghana
Summary
The government has also created a very conducive environment for business by
putting the follow in place;




Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, which is a one stop shop
for all investment enquiries and assistance
Tax exemptions on educational materials
Tax holidays
Setting up of Ghana free zones board
If you have any specific questions or need more information on any of the areas
mentioned and their prospects kindly contact the Netherlands Embassy in Ghana or
the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
An enabling policy environment and higher electricity/gas tariffs provide increasing
opportunities for investments in renewable energy. Moreover, if designed well, such
investments could benefit from subsidies provided by donors and/or climate
financing through the voluntary market. Opportunities for investment and trade
relate to hardware and software; consultancy, advisory services, project
development, import, manufacturing, distribution, sales. The market exists, is
growing and there is plenty of scope for new players.
When it comes to the Renewable Energy industry, yes Ghana is ready for business!
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2.0 General Information: overview of relevant government
plans and Business Climate
Ghana’s economic growth remained strong over the last decades. Ghana’s growth is
led by its political stability, its relatively liberal economic policies and rising primary
commodity prices. Yet, the economic growth of the most recent years is more
moderate. This economic success has been noticed by Dutch companies. The
opportunities in the Ghanaian and regional market continue to attract trade and
investment from The Netherlands.
Trade and investment promotion are the core activities of this embassy. The West
African region has strong growth figures and is seen by many Dutch companies as
an interesting emerging market. Ghana is an attractive vantage point for
international businesses with ambitions to expand in West Africa. Accra is a
preferred hub for companies as it offers security, stability, adequate education and
health facilities, an internationally trained work force at the academic level, and
convenient flight connections to the major destinations in the region.
Economic growth alone is not enough to lead Ghana to sustained higher levels of
development. The government needs to transform its services, to manage the
increasing complexities of a fast growing economy.
The Ghanaian economy has grown steadily over the last ten years, in part due to
high prices in primary commodities such as cocoa, timber and gold and since 2011
oil. The pace of growth in the Ghanaian economy moderated in 2012 reaching 8%
compared to 15% in 2011. This trend continued, resulting in 7.3% in 2013, a 5%
growth in 2014 and an estimated 3.7% in 2015. In order to counter this decreasing
economic growth, the Government of Ghana will need to speed up reforms,
including measures to budget more realistically and broaden its tax base by
including the informal economy, which forms a large share of economic activities, in
order to increase revenues.
Projections for the next 5 to 10 years are rather positive; most probably Ghana will
continue to grow as the main drivers underlying growth are likely to improve.
However, the Ghanaian government needs to show its ability to tackle the countries
energy issues and rising inflation. We expect that The Netherlands will remain
among Ghana’s first export destinations and that exports to Ghana from the
Netherlands will continue to grow as fast as in recent years, with steadily increasing
direct investments form the Dutch private sector in Ghana as well. The Netherlands
is already among the top investors in Ghana.
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3.0 Country Energy Situation
3.1 Overview
Energy is daily in the news in Ghana and it has been in the headlines for many
years. As the economy has been growing in the last decennia, demand for energy
has increased rapidly. The current electricity generation level is simply too low to
supply the whole country reliably. Industries need adequate energy levels to
facilitate the production of goods and services; household consumers demand a
reliable power supply without load shedding. An electricity crisis is perceived at
present, has been experienced in the last years and will likely persist a few more
years. Some power plants are under construction, others are in the planning stage,
but, given the rapidly rising demand, it is unlikely that consumers can expect a
reliable supply in the near future.
Ghana’s Vision 2020 comprises the National Electrification Scheme (NES) targeting
100 % electrification by the year 2020 (as opposed to presently 54 %). This forces
policy makers to not only plan for expansion of generation capacity, but also to
promote alternative energy sources for an overall and balanced growth of the
energy sector, based on a mix of sources, including renewables.
The Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC) was established in 1994 to adopt
and implement an investor friendly set of rules and regulations to boost private
sector investments. With the introduction of macroeconomic and sectoral reforms in
recent years, overall government policies and institutions now form a conducive
environment for private sector involvement, including those interested in the
renewable energy sector.
The main government objectives for the energy sector are to develop Ghana’s oil
and gas reserves for domestic use (including for electricity generation) and for
export, and to provide grid access for the whole population as soon as generation
capacity allows. The GoG target for electricity generation capacity is an optimistic
5000 MW by 2016 (up from around 2400 MW at present). At the same time GoG
seeks to reduce the huge subsidies on fuel and electricity that now characterize the
power sector.
Until 1998, the supply of electricity in Ghana was mainly from hydropower sources
(the Akosombo Dam was constructed in 1966). Since then about 1,000 MW thermal
generation capacity has been added. Currently, the installed generation capacity is
2,412 MW, made up of about 50% hydro and 50% thermal (from fossil fuels). The
installed generating capacity includes 1,180MW of hydropower generation
(Akosombo, Bui and Kpong plants), 330MW from Takoradi Power Company
(TAPCO), 220MW from Takoradi International Company (TICO), 200MW from
SunonAsogli, 80MW diesel plant from Tema and 110 and 49.5 from Tema Thermal
1 Power Plant and Tema Thermal 2 Power Plant respectively. The CENIT Power
Plant adds a further 126 MW. The Dutch bank FMO is involved in the financing
expansion of the plants in Takoradi and Tema. The electricity sector is basically run
by four utilities: the Volta River Authority (VRA), the Northern Electricity
Distribution Company (NEDCo)1, Ghana Grid Company Limited and Electricity
Company of Ghana Limited (ECG). These utilities are financially in dire straits and
continue to depend on government subsidies. Institutional reform processes to
enhance efficiency and reduce costs are underway for these utilities, led by the
NEDCo is a subsidiary of VRA and is responsible for the distribution of power in the northern
two-thirds of Ghana, accounting for only 10% of the national total sales of electricity
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Worldbank. Recently a new utility was formed to run the new Bui hydropower plant
(Bui Power Authority).
Ghana’s power generation trend has been erratic, influenced by rainfall conditions,
mishaps and delays in construction of new plants and pipelines. For example, the
accident with the West African Gas Pipeline disrupted normal gas supply to power
plants in Ghana for more than a year. Presently, generation increase cannot keep
up with increase in demand, which is now estimated at 2500MW. As a
consequence, load shedding is frequent throughout the country, in particular
affecting small towns and rural areas. Given the large dependency on Akosombo
dam, production is vulnerable to low levels of rainfall in the Volta catchment. The
main consumers of electricity are households, industry, educational institutions and
health facilities. A very big consumer is the VALCO aluminum company, using 6%
of the nation’s electricity. Despite shortfalls and bound to contracts, Ghana also
exports electricity to neighboring countries such as Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.
3.2 Renewable Energy Market
Renewable energy in Ghana concerns biomass (as long as it originates from
plantations), biogas and electricity generated from renewable sources (hydropower,
solar, wind). All energy related to oil and gas from fossil resources is excluded from
this paper. As a consequence the business opportunities that are identified in this
paper relate to clean technology. The current Dutch involvement in renewable
energy initiatives in Ghana is limited: Philips PPP2, GIZ/ENDEV and PSI.
Biomass
The bulk of Ghana’s energy is provided by biomass (in the form of fuelwood and
charcoal) accounting for about 59 % of the total energy consumption. Charcoal is
the preferred source of cooking energy in rural areas and in low-income urban
areas, where as much as 82 % still use kerosene, candles, charcoal and fuelwood
as the main sources of energy. Everywhere in Ghana, but especially in the middle
and the north, charcoal is produced and traded over long distances. Although huge
in scope and well organized, this trade (and its actors in the value chain such as
farmers, charcoal burners, transporters and traders) is mainly informal, largely
illegal, unregulated, has led to rapid deforestation in the last few decades and is far
from sustainable. In order to make the use of biomass sustainable large scale
treeplanting must be undertaken as well as better implementation of laws and
policies. Introduction of bottled gas (LPG) has been attempted as an alternative
cooking energy, but has sofar been unsuccessful.
The market for biomass interventions lies in all steps in the value chain from
producer to consumer where improvements can be introduced. Consumers mainly
reside in poor rural and urban areas all over the country.
Biogas
Presently biogas is hardly tapped as a source of energy, apart from a few smallscale applications. The market for biogas installations can be found mainly in smallscale applications for institutions (prisons, hotels, schools), selected industries and
communities where biogas can be used for cooking. The use of biogas for electricity
generation for off-grid solutions could be another option and is currently explored.
Electricity
This concerns the SESA programme, a PPP for different countries; in Ghana Philips will
develop business models for the introduction of clean cooking stoves and the sale of
sustainably produced biomass (DGIS contribution for Ghana EUR 110,000).
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Other than from hydro, electricity production from renewable sources is not yet well
developed. In order to arrive at a future balanced mix of energy sources, the
Government has established a target of 10% of power generation coming from
renewable sources (which include small hydro plants) by 2020. Although some
small installations are operational, both solar and wind technology is in early stages
of development, and is expected to require significant incentives over conventional
generation to be financially viable. Positive is that policies and regulations for
Renewable Energy (RE) investments are in place and that government is in the
process of reducing subsidies for electricity consumption, by raising tariffs.
Although bad for consumers, high electricity tariffs will boost private investments in
power generation.
3.3 Policy Framework for renewable energy
3.3.1 Policies and Strategies for Renewable Energy Promotion
The Government’s objective is to create an enabling environment for private
investments in renewable energy (RE) projects. Distinction is made between the
“Regulated Market” which allows private parties to initiate and develop RE projects
as Independent Power Producers and utility-led project development. The most
active utility in this field is VRA. GoG has stated that it wants to achieve 10%
renewable energy in the generation mix by 2020. RE legislation in Ghana is ruled
by the Energy Commission Act of 1997, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission
Act and Renewable Energy Act. The Renewable Energy Division of the Energy
Commission is responsible for developing policies and strategies, including the
Renewable Energy Act that covers all RE technologies including wind, solar, hydro,
waste-to-energy and biomass.
3.3.2 Main actors
Apart from the utilities the main actors are the Ministry of Energy, which oversees
the National Gas Company and the National Petroleum Company. These institutions
deal predominantly with energy from non-renewable resources like oil and gas. In
addition Regulatory Agencies are important for renewable energy:
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The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) was established to
regulate and oversee the provision of utility services by the public sector to
consumers and related matters. It has the mandate to set tariffs for
consumers and producers (Feed-in Tariffs for delivery of electricity to the
grid) and to balance the interests of producers and consumers alike.
The Energy Commission (EC) was established to regulate and administrate
the utilization of energy resources in Ghana. EC is responsible, inter alia,
for the involvement of the private sector and to prepare and update
national energy plans. The EC is the final statutory body required to issue
licenses for RE business in Ghana.
Other regulatory institutions involved in the RE industry are the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Standards Board,
which respectively issue environmental permits and certification for
equipment for importation and distribution in Ghana. Specific ventures such
as municipal waste-to-energy, however, also require approval from the
local regulatory bodies such as the Accra Metropolitan Authority and Kumasi
Metropolitan Authority mandated to supervise waste management.
3.3.3 The Regulatory Framework
Specific incentives are available for investments in the RE sector:
-
exemption from import duty on RE equipment
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-
development of codes and standards for solar, wind and bio- energy
systems
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regulations and procedures exist to ensure that all RE service providers are
provided with licenses/permits and Power Purchase Agreements
-
clear Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) for energy generated by renewable sources and
Independent Power Producers have been published recently.
3.4 Potential of Renewable Energy Sources
3.4.1 Biomass/Biogas
Although still in its infancy, biogas from organic and municipal (solid and liquid)
waste is gaining popularity in Ghana. There are a few companies that install biogas
digesters for utilizing the methane for domestic and institutional use. Biofuels have
not yet gained popularity as an alternative source of fuel for automobiles and
industrial engines compared to conventional diesel. In the past, the Government
has promoted biodiesel from the Jatropha plant with the result that many farmers
opted for Jatropha instead of growing cassava and maize. This, however, proved to
affect food security and farmer’s income negatively and was subsequently
abandoned. There are still a few entrepreneurs who believe that biodiesel could be
profitable but lack the support to produce commercial quantities.
There is no doubt that efficient use of biomass-based energy/biogas such as
charcoal, agricultural waste, landfills and municipal waste as well as biodiesel from
appropriate organic materials could benefit the country as a whole, while reducing
carbon dioxide emissions. Fuelwood accounts for 85 % of primary energy used in
Ghanaian homes and provides income and employment (charcoal producers,
transporters and retailers) for many rural communities. In 2011 average annual
wood production was about 30 million tons. The potential woodfuel supply is
estimated at 18 million tons per annum. The rate of deforestation in Ghana is
135,000 hectares per year (equaling 2.19% % of the overall forest cover). To date
deforestation continues unabated in the absence of large scale reforestation efforts.
Charcoal is produced in inefficient ways by the informal sector and continues to
contribute to deforestation. There is a great potential to use organic waste material
for sustainable charcoal production in the large palm oil extraction factories. These
factories use part of the waste to power their operations, but a large part remains
unused. This waste presents investors with joint venture opportunities for more
efficient production methods in biomass energy production. Aiming to reduce
deforestation, some NGO’s have introduced efficient biomass cooking stoves on the
Ghanaian market as alternatives to traditional cooking stoves. These stoves reduce
charcoal consumption for household and commercial cooking. However, the
efficiency in the production and use of charcoal can still be improved with the
potential for carbon emission reductions which could then be monetized on
voluntary markets for carbon certificates under the Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM). The REDD+ instrument may potentially contribute funds to such programs
as well.
Finally, the use for electricity production of household- and municipal waste, now
littering the streets, for energy would provide win-win situations by on the one
hand providing a solution for the waste problem and on the other hand by providing
much needed electricity.
3.4.2 Solar energy
The solar resource is abundant in Ghana. The monthly average solar irradiation is
between 4.4 and 5.6 kWh/m2/day, with sunshine duration of between 1,800 and
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3,000 hours per annum. The absence of a feed-in tariff (FiT) has been a major
barrier for on-grid solar electricity production, but has now been resolved.
However, until recently, little was done to exploit this resource and the solar
market is relatively untapped, both for photovoltaic (PV) systems as well as for
Solar Water Heaters.
VRA has built a small 2 MW solar PV grid-connected plant as a pilot project in the
Upper East Region, which has been commissioned in January 2014. Four other sites
in the north (Kaleo (near Wa), Lawra, Jirapa and Navrongo) have been identified
with a potential 10MW. VRA is seeking concessionary funding to develop these
sites.
Canada’s Siginik Energy Ltd has signed a 25 year MOU with ECG for a 50 MW
ground-mounted PV project in the Northern region, near the Ivorian border. UK’s
Blue Energy has plans to develop a 155 MW solar plant in Western region.
However, proposed development timeline and details for these projects are not
clear at this stage.
The prospects for grid-connected power generation have somewhat improved
because of the recent decrease in the price of solar panels and the recent increase
in electricity tariffs. Nevertheless, the prospects for any large scale on-grid solar
electricity generation are distant as it is still more expensive than conventional
power generation. Further, solar power does not provide reliable capacity without
storage, which adds significantly to the investment costs.
Rural solar power has considerable potential to serve households institutions and
small industries in off-grid areas. Since many households anticipate getting power
from the grid in the short term, however, there is a reluctance to invest in PV
systems. The reality is that grid expansion is now much slower than previously
planned because of inadequate electricity production, high costs of transmission
and huge subsidies on every connection.
A more cost-effective subsidy policy for rural electrification should include minigrids and household systems for customers who are not served by the grid in the
short or medium term. This would reduce the strain on the power utilities’ finances,
and also provide quick service to off-grid areas. It is likely that stand-alone solar
equipment in rural areas is likely to be much cheaper than conventional rural
electrification through the grid, which is heavily subsidized.
The main solar technology applications on the Ghanaian market are rural solar
home systems (especially lanterns and lighting), urban solar home systems
(household appliances, lanterns), solar systems for schools and health centers,
vaccine refrigeration, solar water heaters, solar water pumps, telecommunication,
battery charging stations and solar streetlights. Currently a few suppliers serve this
market, but potentially the market is huge and worthwhile to explore. An Indian
company (Ecotech) is currently preparing an investment in an assembly plant for
solar equipment for subsequent sale and distribution in Ghanaian and neighboring
markets.
The Ghanaian market for solar water heaters is currently small but is potentially
huge. Larger units of solar water heaters are usually deployed in the hotel industry.
The demand for small units of 130 –190 liter boilers is rising, with or without
electric booster heater. If connected to the grid, the majority of households and
institutions today use (expensive) electric water boilers. The increase in electricity
tariffs will make solar solutions much more attractive.
3.4.3 Wind Power
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Although studies by the Energy Commission have shown that there is enough
potential to generate wind energy, it is already evident that wind power is not likely
to become a major source of power in Ghana. The best wind resources are found
primarily along narrow stretches of its eastern coastline and on the hill tops around
the Volta lake and the border with Togo. Although along the coastline, the speeds
(mostly between 5 and 7 m/s at 50m) are classified as ‘marginal’ for wind
generation, a dozen of hills offer good to excellent wind power potential
Furthermore grid-connected wind power is likely to be cheaper than grid-connected
solar power.
At present, there are several projects in the planning phase, but investment
decisions have not been taken yet. VRA intends to build a wind power plant as a
joint venture with a foreign partner with wind farm experience. NEK, a Swiss
company, has partnered with Accra-based Atlantic International Holding Co for
developing a 50 MW project. China Wind Power is considering up to a 2x 50 MW
project. Wind measurements will be undertaken at four coastal sites and four inland
sites to determine feasibility. Provided that the wind speed proves to be adequate,
these sites could be developed.
3.4.4 Hydro Power: small and large
The Akosombo generating station (1,020 MW) and the Kpong Plant (160MW) are
the only large hydro stations in operation. The aging plants seldom meet their
optimal capacity because of frequent shutdowns for maintenance and rehabilitation.
In addition, the 400MW Bui Hydroelectric Project has recently been commissioned.
There are about thirteen other hydro sites that have been identified for small hydro
projects with a potential for public private partnerships. Possible projects include
Pwalugu (48 MW), Kulpawn (80 MW), Juale (87 MW), Daboya (44 MW), and
Hemang (75 MW). Since none of these sites has a full feasibility available yet, and
given the long lead time in constructing such plants, it is not expected any of them
could produce power before 2020.
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4.0 Market Risks and Opportunities
4.1 Investment opportunities in Renewable Energy
With the policy and regulatory framework in place, the gap between energy
production and demand provides good opportunities for investments in renewable
energy. The recently published tariffs are deemed attractive for various business
models regarding production and distribution of energy and trade in associated
equipment. With the government aiming to reduce energy subsidies further, tariffs
are expected to increase in the future. Opportunities are:
-
Solar water heaters and associated services; countrywide
PV equipment for small scale domestic applications in off-grid areas:
lighting with roof panels, mobile phone chargers, lanterns
PV equipment for large scale applications in public places and institutions:
0.5 – 20 MW for electricity generation (solar power plants, off-grid and on
grid), street lanterns
small-scale hydropower (off-grid and on-grid)
waste to energy: plastic recycling for pellets or fuel; landfill methane
capture, biogas for cooking or electricity generation
treeplanting for commercial charcoal production near urban centers (in
combination with recreation/cocoa cultivation/agroforestry/watershed
protection); efficient conversion of wood to charcoal
efficient cooking stoves using fuelwood and charcoal
-
4.2 Energy efficiency and demand-side management
High energy prices will increasingly provide incentives for efficient use of energy.
Although Ghana has recently instituted some energy efficiency policy measures,
such as promotion of CFLs and LED lights, the efficiency agenda is currently not
well developed in terms of policy, technology, marketing, equipment, neither for
institutions, nor for industries and households. Ghana has only begun to scratch the
surface of energy efficiency in the electricity and biomass sector. This awareness is
certain to rise among government, utilities and consumers, which will lead to
opportunities for energy saving and efficiency measures and equipment such as:
-
LED lighting systems to replace conventional lighting for public places,
industries and households
energy-monitoring equipment and knowledge to reduce consumption by
industry and institutions
review of (industrial) processes and introduction of energy efficient
machinery
improved management of the grid (smart grid technologies; SCADA
system)
prepaid meters
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Business Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Ghana
Relevant Contacts and References
Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)
T +31 88 602 1374 / +31 6 4279 8918
Frans.kortekaas@rvo.nl
www.rvo.nl
Association of Ghana Industries
Addison House
Trade Fair Centre, La-Accra
B: (233-21) 779793, 763384, 779023-4
M: (020) 815-7090
E-mail: setha@agighana.org
Ghana Chamber of Commerce & Industry
1st Floor World Trade Centre,
Opp. Children's Park, National theatre-Accra
P. O. Box 2325, Accra
Tel: 233 (0) 302 662860
Fax: 233 (0) 302 662866
Email: info@ghanachamber.org
Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Commerce
2A Silver Star Tower Airport City
Accra Ghana
Tel: +233 (0)30 2767 825
Fax: +233 (0)30 2767 898
Mob: +233 (0)20 2872 301
E:info@ghannecc.com
Ghana Investment Promotion Centre
Badger, Emmanuel
Bus: +233 302665125
E-mail: ebadger@gipc.com
Mr. Badger will be able to advice on taxation, legal requirements etc
Tel : +233 302 249 352/3
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Business Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Ghana
Relevant Business Contacts
Persistent Energy Partners
Persistent Energy is an investment company specializing in Clean Energy in subSaharan Africa. Their corporate goal is to provide energy for rural households and
businesses. Therefore, the company offers only off-grid applications and focuses on
the installation and operation of solar micro grids and other Systems in return for a
fee. Persistent Energy Partners is composed of a team of five Investment
professionals with experience in the Clean Energy Sector. The company supports
innovative entrepreneurs that make use of renewable energy technologies.
Albert Boateng
1A Silver Star Tower
Airport City, Accra - Ghana
Tel: +233 302 776 507
Email - Website
Mp-tec solar Ghana Ltd
The company is a subsidiary of the German mp-tec GmbH & Co. The company
develops and installs solar systems like solar Water pumps, off-grid and on-grid
systems, back-up systems and implementation of large-scale solar installations. In
cooperation with the German DENA, the company has delivered solar pumps, solar
panels and street lighting (with total value of EUR90,000) to the Polytechnic Accra.
Allen Solomon
89 Guggisber Avenue
P. O. Box KB 497 Korle-Bu, Accra
Tel: +233 302662905
Email - Website
Energiebau Sunergy Ghana Ltd
In 2006, Energiebau Sunergy Ghana Ltd. was established as a joint venture with
Energiebau Systems GmbH Cologne. Their focus is on the entire spectrum of solar
energy as well as all aspects of project development and implementation.
Energiebau has 14 FTE. The company installed the first solar grid-connected system
on the premises of the Energy Commission of Ghana, at the KNUST campus and
later on the Campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University in Kumasi (24kW) and the
Energy Commission (4.25 kW). Currently the company has a 100 kW PV rooftop
system installed on the Jiaan towers in Tema. Since the company was founded,
around 580 kW grid-connected and off-grid Solar systems have been installed in
Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr. William Asante
P.O. box 231, Aburi
T: +233 243 555 766
Email - Website
Deng Ltd
The company was founded in 1988 and has 50 FTE. Deng has realized since its
inception a number of solar projects. For a government project, they installed
around 100 kW solar power in the Upper West and Brong Ahafo Region. Deng was
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Business Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Ghana
also commissioned by the Danish Development agency DANIDA for a solar street
lighting project in rural areas.
Kenneth K. Cornelius
P.O BOX AN 19996, Accra, Ghana
T: +233244337443
Email - Website
DAWIG Energy Solar Ltd
The company has been active in the renewable energy sector since 2003 and has
installed about 3000 kW solar energy. Founded in 2006, the company has 10
employees, including seven fixed Employees (electricians and engineers) as well as
three part time (marketing and accounting). Currently, the company focusses on
planning and design of solar thermal and PV systems and the Installation and
maintenance of equipment for both on-grid and off-Grid systems. DAWIG is
currently conducting a pilot project for net metering on a 500 kW on-Grid system in
Takoradi. So far, around 250 kW Solar lights and solar thermal have been installed
by the company.
David Tukuru
P.O. Box 3403 ACCRA
T: +233302221831
NEK Ghana
NEK Ghana Ltd Ltd was established in 2003 with the aim of promoting cost effective
renewable energy projects across Ghana. They are specialists in wind energy
technology and generally in renewable energy and act as energy consultants to
organisations, investors and operators throughout the country. They are the
combined venture of NEK Umwelttechnik AG of Swizterland and Atlantic
International Holding Company of Ghana. Over the past years, they have made
investments in ensuring the successful implementation of their first 50MW wind
park at Prampram
Odam House, C 875 A/3 Water Road,Kanda Highway Extension, Ridge / Asylum
Down
P. O. Box KA9116, Accra, Ghana
T: +233 30 2228214
Email - Website
Wilkins Engineering Ltd
Wilkins Engineering was founded in 1993 and is a specialist company for Electrical
services. The main focus is on the maintenance and installation of networks and
equipment, rural electrification and solar energy. The company currently employs
more than 500 employees, consisting of engineers, technicians and administrative
staff. Wilkins realizes energy audits, as well as electro-technical work in home,
industrial and commercial applications. Wilkins is also active in the expansion and
maintenance of electricity networks. It plans and constructs low- and high-voltage
cables, offers maintenance, and installs transformers. For the solar energy division,
the company focuses on design and installation of PV systems for private
households, health centers and government institutions. The company has around
3,000 solar home systems installed, and in 2012 about 5000 solar lanterns.
Omane Frimpong (CEO)
P.O. Box KA 9314, Accra - Ghana
T: +233 302 235 671
Email - Website
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RVO.nl |
Business Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Ghana
Relevant references
Hensley, M. H., Gu, S., Hagan, E. B., August 2010. A comprehensive review of
biomass resources and biofuels potential in Ghana - Available at ScienceDirect
Schoneveld , G. C., L. A. German, and E. Nutakor. 2011. Land-based investments
for rural development? A grounded analysis of the local impacts of biofuel feedstock
plantations in Ghana. Ecology and Society 16(4): 10
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