The Bui Power Authority (BPA), one of the state power generation companies in the Republic of Ghana, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Ghana, Legon, to provide a 2.5 megawatts (MW) solar farm for the premier university.
Per the MOU, the BPA would have access to the project site, which is covering about 10 acres, to conduct feasibility studies on the project within a period of one month.
The MoU covers the scope of work, design, implementation plan and financing.
Apart from generating electricity, which will be tied to the national interconnected transmission system, the project will also serve as a research center for the university.
The CEO of the BPA, Mr Fred Oware, signed for the authority while the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Office of Research Innovation and Development, Professor Francis Dodoo, signed for the university.
In an interview with energynewsafrica.com, CEO of BPA, Mr Oware said the MoU was a product of more than a year of engagement with the university on the solar project.
“We should have signed this MOU long time ago, but we our attention was on the Tsatsadu project. Thankfully, we have completed that project that’s why we’re here today,” he said.
He said a lot of studies had been done behind the scenes on the project, which would turn around the energy situation in the university.
“If we pass the feasibility stage and we get authorisation from you, we will be happy to complete possibly less than a year’s time,” he said.
Touching on the benefits of the project, Mr Oware explained that the development of the solar farm would help to reduce the cost of electricity at the university.
He was optimistic that engineering students at the university would also have a direct training in Solar Power installation
“Once we finish it, the university will also benefit from our students’ partnership, which we have had over the years.
“There will be no expatriate in the team,” he added.
He said the authority would work with the Engineering Department of the university for students to gain practical experience.
When asked how much the project would cost, Mr Oware said the cost would be determined when the feasibility studies were concluded
For his part, Professor Dodoo described as fruitful the partnership with the BPA on the project, which included the use of windmills for power generation.
He said the project, when completed, would significantly reduce the university’s power woes.
“The Vice-chancellor sees this as an opportunity for our scientists, scholars and students to latch on,” he said.
The Dean of the University’s College of Engineering Sciences, Professor Boateng Onwona-Agyeman, also said the project, when completed, would significantly reduce power consumption by the university.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com