Ghana commended for renewable energy commitments

The Ghanaian government has been commended for the commitment to promote renewable energy in the country’s power generation mix.

In his 2019 State of the Nation Address, President Akufo-Addo announced that the seat of government, the Jubilee House, will from August 2019 be powered by solar energy.

This initiative would serve as an example for other public institutions.

“Government is committed to achieving an electricity generation mix that ensures diversity and security of energy supply. For this reason, we will continue to promote the deployment of renewable energy in line with our policy target of 10% renewables in the energy mix from the current 1%,” said the President.

Civil society group, Abibiman Foundation, has welcomed the President’s pronouncement, considering the efforts made by the government to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, and SDG 13 – Climate Action.

“When honoured, it will demonstrate the President’s commitment to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially as he is the Co-Chair to the UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Development Goals Advocates,” said Kenneth Nana Amoateng, Executive Director of the Foundation.

In 2016, Ghana ratified the Paris Climate Change Agreement to pave way for the implementation of its Nationally Determined Contributions (GH-NDCs).

The GH-NDCs seeks to develop a policy framework that integrates adaptation, mitigation and other climate related policies within broader development policies and planning in order to safeguard developmental gains from the impacts of climate change and build a climate resilient economy.

Ghana’s solar energy programmes include the attainment of utility-scale solar electricity from about 22.5 megawatts to 250 megawatts by 2030.

In addition, 200,000 solar systems for households, commercial and government facilities in urban and selected non-electrified rural communities will be installed and 55 mini-grid electrification systems with an average capacity of 100 kilowatts established.

Abibiman Foundation has urged the government to step up commitments to increase the proportion of renewable energy by 10% in the total national energy mix by the 2030 deadline.

“Ensuring the efficient production and use of renewable energy in Ghana is paramount to the country’s development. Even though we commend the government for its effort in working towards the attainment of universal access to energy by 2020, we believe a lot more could be done through improved access to various renewable energy technologies,” said Kenneth.

Most parts of Ghana enjoy high levels of solar irradiation all year round due to the abundance of sunshine. Yet solar energy only contributes 1% to the energy mix, as opposed to 59% from fossil fuels and 40% from hydro.

The Energy Ministry initiated the Solar Rooftop Programme to promote the use of solar power for government and public buildings to reduce expenditure on utilities.

"The Ministry is leading by example with the installation of a 65-kilowatt solar rooftop system at its premises," President Akufo-Addo said.

Civil Society expects a comprehensive plan to roll out the programme to include ministries, department and agencies as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

“We want to pledge our support to the government and its efforts to drive and improve the use of renewable energy in the country. Additionally, we will complement government’s efforts by creating awareness to drive adoption, improve advocacy and the deployment of various renewable energy technologies across Ghana,” said a statement from Abibiman Foundation.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Banking on Sunshine: solar energy dominates investment in new power

Solar energy dominated global investment in new power generation like never before in 2017.

The world installed a record 98 gigawatts of new solar capacity, far more than the net additions of any other technology - renewable, fossil fuel or nuclear.

Solar power also attracted far more investment, at $160.8 billion, up 18 per cent, than any other technology. It made up 57 per cent of last year's total for all renewables (excluding large hydro) of $279.8 billion, and it towered above new investment in coal and gas generation capacity, estimated at $103 billion.

A driving power behind last year's surge in solar was China, where an unprecedented boom saw some 53 gigawatts added - more than half the global total - and $86.5 billion invested, up 58 per cent.

The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018 report, released by UN Environment, the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, finds that falling costs for solar electricity, and to some extent wind power, is continuing to drive deployment. Last year was the eighth in a row in which global investment in renewables exceeded $200 billion - and since 2004, the world has invested $2.9 trillion in these green energy sources.

"The extraordinary surge in solar investment, around the world, shows how much can be achieved when we commit to growth without harming the environment," said Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim. 

"By investing in renewables, countries can power new communities, improving the lives and livelihoods of the people who live in them, and at the same time cleaning up the air they breathe."

Overall, China was by far the world's largest investing country in renewables, at a record $126.6 billion, up 31 per cent on 2016.

There were also sharp increases in investment in Australia (up 147 per cent to $8.5 billion), Mexico (up 810 per cent to $6 billion), and in Sweden (up 127 per cent to $3.7 billion).

A record 157 gigawatts of renewable power were commissioned last year, up from 143 gigawatts in 2016 and far out-stripping the net 70 gigawatts of fossil-fuel generating capacity added (after adjusting for the closure of some existing plants) over the same period.

"The world added more solar capacity than coal, gas, and nuclear plants combined", said Nils Stieglitz, President of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. "This shows where we are heading, although the fact that renewables altogether are still far from providing the majority of electricity means that we still have a long way to go."

Some big markets, however, saw declines in investment in renewables. In the United States, investment dropped 6 per cent, coming in at $40.5 billion. In Europe there was a fall of 36 per cent, to $40.9 billion, with big drops in the United Kingdom (down 65 per cent to $7.6 billion) and Germany (down 35 per cent to $10.4 billion). Investment in Japan slipped 28 per cent to $13.4 billion.

Angus McCrone, Chief Editor of Bloomberg New Energy Finance and lead author of the report, said: "In countries that saw lower investment, it generally reflected a mixture of changes in policy support, the timing of large project financings, such as in offshore wind, and lower capital costs per megawatt."

Global investments in renewable energy of $2.7 trillion from 2007 to 2017 (11 years inclusive) have increased the proportion of world electricity generated by wind, solar, biomass and waste-to-energy, geothermal, marine and small hydro from 5.2 per cent to 12.1 per cent.

The current level of electricity generated by renewables corresponds to about 1.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions avoided - roughly equivalent to those produced by the entire U.S. transport system.