Ghana: VRA Completes First Rooftop Solar Power Project At Head Office

Ghana’s power generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA), has completed its first rooftop solar project at its Accra Headquarters.

This is part of its commitment to project the culture of working in a green and smart environment in the West African nation.

It is expected that the 80-kWp capacity facility will contribute about 25 percent of the total energy used by the Authority at its Headquarters.

According to Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, who is the CEO of VRA, the project is evident that rooftop solar can be deployed in many public offices with significant success.

He encouraged other public and private agencies to consider similar projects.
The VRA boss also disclosed that they intend to replicate the project in all VRA’s operational areas as a way of showing leadership to ensure energy development in a sustainable manner in the country.

‘’More significantly, we intend to deploy rooftop solar systems in our residential facilities at Akosombo, Akuse and Aboadze as part of our programmes to green our enclaves,” Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa said in his opening address at the 5th Ghana Energy Fair and National Energy Symposium in Accra.

The VRA, he revealed, looks forward to developing Ghana’s first wind power project and that they anticipate to successfully complete the 150MW wind power project to be located in the Keta and Ada Municipalities respectively in the short to medium terms.

Mr Antwi Darkwa announced that his outfits will, in 2020, develop a pilot floating solar project on the Kpong Hydroelectric Dam Headpond at Akuse in the Eastern Region, to test the feasibility and adequacy of the technology in the country.

The Authority’s commitment to utility scale renewable energy started in 2013 through the development of Ghana’s first scale power plant at Navrongo.

He added that not only has the plant improved power supply in that part of the nation, but it has granted Ghana sufficient operational knowledge to effectively manage large scale solar power plants.

The VRA, in collaboration with the German Government, has also commenced the construction of a total 17MW solar plant in Lawra and Kaleo, both in the Upper West Region.

“While obviously modest, it is the main building block of our strategy to develop and operate about 60 percent of the nation’s renewable utility scale power plants in the short to medium terms. We expect the other 40 percent to be taken up by the private sector,” he indicated.

From the perspective of VRA, renewable energy development is and will continue to be a game-changer in the energy sector.

Its corporate strategy, therefore, places significant focus on ensuring development in a sustainable manner, which, according to Mr Antwi-Darkwa, includes the development and introduction of clean and environmentally friendly forms of energy into Ghana’s generation portfolio.

 Source:www.energynewsafrica.com