Energy Commission develops toolkit for renewable energy policy and planning

The Energy Commission (EC) with support from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) has developed a toolkit that would support renewable energy resources to analysis, planning and a policy formulation instrument.

The toolkit utilises Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to evaluate potential locations for solar and wind energy, transportation infrastructure and population centres.

In addition, it would help to develop a GIS-based tool to support in decision making and policy initiatives that were designed to attract public and private investment in the country’s renewable energy sector.

Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, Deputy Minister of Energy announced this at the opening of a two-day training workshop on Geospatial Toolkit For Renewable Energy Planning and Policy in Accra on Monday.

The workshop seeks to take participants from Energy Commission, Ministry of Energy, utilities and researchers through reviewing existing renewable energy resource data, energy policies, strategies and plans, develop and validate GIS maps and alternative business development.

The Deputy Minister said the vision of the country’s energy sector was to develop an energy economy that would ensure secured and reliable energy service for all sectors of the economy.

He said as part of government’s commitment to renewable energy, the Ministry of Energy had upgraded the renewable energy unit to the status of a directorate similar to that of the power and petroleum.

“This is to help formulate and monitor policy strategies for the promotion of all forms of renewable energy resources in the country,” Alhaji Fuseini added.

On the attainment of 10 per cent target of renewable energy, he said government had developed a renewable energy bill now before Parliament with support from the World Bank to provide the legal and regulatory framework for attracting private sector investment in the industry.

Alhaji Fuseini explained that on the enactment of the bill, it would enable the Ministry to establish the renewable energy fund to provide incentives for research, development, promotion and utilisation of renewable energy resources.

He disclosed that the Spanish Government had provided the Government five million Euros grant facility for the supply and installation of solar systems for schools, hospitals and security outpost in remote communities without electricity.

Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Deputy Minster of Environment, Science and Technology, announced that the Sector Ministry was embarking on two projects including municipal waste project to encourage the conversion of municipal waste into electricity and national biogas project to ensure the widespread deployment of biogas digesters in the country.

He encouraged institutions especially universities and polytechnics to embrace the biogas technology to deal with the waste disposal problem.

Dr Omane Boamah said the Ministry was collaborating with stakeholders for the implementation of the refrigerator market transformation project aimed at transforming the refrigerator appliance market in Ghana and eventually West Africa.

He appealed to the REEEP to support the country gain access to Climate Change Mitigation funds for renewable energy projects financing.

Mr Binu Parthan, Deputy Director-General of REEEP, commended the Government for the foresight in the development of the toolkits, saying “Ghana could be a good role model for sustainable energy regulation in developing countries.”

Dr Alfred Ofosu Ahenkorah, Executive Secretary of EC, urged participants to take the workshop seriously to enable them learn more from experts, adding that the toolkit was available for both the public and private energy companies to use.

Source: GNA