Ghana has to push harder to attain the target of increasing the portion of renewable energy sources in the power generation mix to 10 per cent by 2020.
With Renewable Energy Act considered a good framework, the country’s roadmap to achieving the target must include heavy investments in supporting infrastructure to improve the stability and reliability of the grid.
Currently, Ghana has only about 3.3 megawatts of renewable energy (RE) power in its generation mix, making the 10 per cent renewable source target – about 670 megawatts of current generation – an ambitious venture.
“It is a good Act; But the infrastructure to support the Act is not in place yet. The grid infrastructure has to be stable to be able to receive such sources of power, but Rome also was not build in a day, an energy expert, Mr Michael Neulinger, said in an interview ahead of a German trade mission to Ghana on Reliable Energy Supply.
Mr Neulinger who is the Head of Energy and Environment Department at the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana (AHK Ghana), said the five-company mission would explore opportunities to partner local companies not only to supply renewable energy technology and solutions to Ghana and West Africa, but also train local personnel in requisite skills and knowledge to support the industry.
Working through its cooperation and development agencies such as GIZ, Germany has supported the development of a framework to promote renewable energy in the country. This is based on its expertise in the area and belief in Ghana’s potential of producing more power from renewable energy.
In order to assist German companies to position themselves successfully with their expertise in the Ghanaian market, the development of economic and technical competencies on-site is necessary. These competencies can be built through partnerships with local actors such as industry companies, energy suppliers and public authorities.
“With renewable energy growth in sight, these companies are prepared to set up companies to train people to do installations so that there will be skills available to support the growing industry,” Mr Neulinger said.
The business trip from April 18-22, 2016 will also hold a trade mission conference on the 18th April 2016 to serves the purpose of meeting potential clients and future business partners. Open for about 70 guests, the one-day conference to start the mission has already been oversubscribed by more than 300 per cent of the expected target participants.
Mr Neulinger said there would also be match-making meetings scheduled with local companies during their visit, which is being coordinated by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, with financing from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
The companies on the mission include Eco Energie GmbH, which is into energy efficiency and renewable energy generation solutions and GBG New Energie GmbH, an independent off-grid, hybrid energy generation solutions provider.
The rest are Sunset Energie and One Shore Energie, both of which are into off-grid solar and PV hybrid and Planet Biogas GmbH, which is into the construction of biogas plants.
Mr Neulinger said some of the companies had been active in Africa for many years with reference projects to point to, they see Ghana as an attractive market for solutions in RE, power efficiency and services.
Ghana has to push harder to attain the target of increasing the portion of renewable energy sources in the power generation mix to 10 per cent by 2020.
With Renewable Energy Act considered a good framework, the country’s roadmap to achieving the target must include heavy investments in supporting infrastructure to improve the stability and reliability of the grid.
Currently, Ghana has only about 3.3 megawatts of renewable energy (RE) power in its generation mix, making the 10 per cent renewable source target – about 670 megawatts of current generation – an ambitious venture.
“It is a good Act; But the infrastructure to support the Act is not in place yet. The grid infrastructure has to be stable to be able to receive such sources of power, but Rome also was not build in a day, an energy expert, Mr Michael Neulinger, said in an interview ahead of a German trade mission to Ghana on Reliable Energy Supply.
Mr Neulinger who is the Head of Energy and Environment Department at the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana (AHK Ghana), said the five-company mission would explore opportunities to partner local companies not only to supply renewable energy technology and solutions to Ghana and West Africa, but also train local personnel in requisite skills and knowledge to support the industry.
Working through its cooperation and development agencies such as GIZ, Germany has supported the development of a framework to promote renewable energy in the country. This is based on its expertise in the area and belief in Ghana’s potential of producing more power from renewable energy.
In order to assist German companies to position themselves successfully with their expertise in the Ghanaian market, the development of economic and technical competencies on-site is necessary. These competencies can be built through partnerships with local actors such as industry companies, energy suppliers and public authorities.
“With renewable energy growth in sight, these companies are prepared to set up companies to train people to do installations so that there will be skills available to support the growing industry,” Mr Neulinger said.
The business trip from April 18-22, 2016 will also hold a trade mission conference on the 18th April 2016 to serves the purpose of meeting potential clients and future business partners. Open for about 70 guests, the one-day conference to start the mission has already been oversubscribed by more than 300 per cent of the expected target participants.
Mr Neulinger said there would also be match-making meetings scheduled with local companies during their visit, which is being coordinated by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, with financing from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
The companies on the mission include Eco Energie GmbH, which is into energy efficiency and renewable energy generation solutions and GBG New Energie GmbH, an independent off-grid, hybrid energy generation solutions provider.
The rest are Sunset Energie and One Shore Energie, both of which are into off-grid solar and PV hybrid and Planet Biogas GmbH, which is into the construction of biogas plants.
Mr Neulinger said some of the companies had been active in Africa for many years with reference projects to point to, they see Ghana as an attractive market for solutions in RE, power efficiency and services.
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