Huawei Digital Power has signed a cooperation agreement with Meinergy Technology to develop a 1GW solar PV plant and 500MWh energy storage system in Ghana.
The energy developer Meinergy works across mining, electricity and the solar PV sector in Ghana and has been expanding its renewable energy footprint in the country.
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Meinergy previously built a 20MW solar PV plant in Gomoa Onyaadze in the central region of Ghana. That plant was commissioned in 2018 and it now operates under a PPA with Power Distribution Services Ghana, formerly Electricity Company Ghana.
The West African country has set a strategic goal to increase the proportion of renewable energy in their mix to 10% by 2030 as they concentrate on promoting green energy and making power accessible to all.
While it has an admirable electricity access rate of 84% (93% in urban areas and 73% in rural areas) the country wants to industrialise and modernise its agriculture sector which means unlocking its unreliable and costly supply of electric power.
Ghana updated its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement but pointed out at COP26 putting into action its various plans and agreements to mitigate carbon emissions would require significant international investment to implement climate interventions.
Ghana currently has more than 5,300MW of installed generation capacity, but rarely exceeds 2,400MW availability across its grid according to USTDA figures. This is because of changing hydrological conditions, inadequate fuel supplies and dilapidated infrastructure.
The country does have significant gas and renewable energy potential though to overcome these constraints and it is setting into motion various clean energy projects to support the country’s energy transition.
Originally published by Theresa Smith on esi-africa.com
