Challenges in the Ghanaian power system: The prospects of renewable energy sources

In the light of economic development and population growth, annual electricity demand in Ghana has correspondingly increased. This has led to excessive pressure on the power system, especially as power generation has been inadequate to meet the increasing demand. As at the end of the year 2013, 25% of the approximately 25 million Ghanaians still lacked access to the national electricity grid. In addition to this, the energy consumption of 13,071.04 GWh in 2014 was not adequately met with the energy generation of 13,011.6 GWh. The inability to maintain the energy demand and supply balance as a result of the existing generation shortfall requires the strategic planning and expansion of the Ghanaian power system. Renewable energy resources (solar and wind) abound in Ghana, which offer a wide range of benefits and could be exploited to concurrently supplement the generation capacity deficit and increase electricity accessibility. However, although the topic of generation inadequacy has been an issue of great concern in the country, very little research has been done with regard to the roles of renewable energies in Ghana. This paper therefore considers the prospects of renewable energies in Ghana and how they could be utilized in the power sector. In view of this, the current challenges in the power generation subsector of the Ghanaian power system are also presented.