Challenges associated with ground water resources development in northern Ghana

It is estimated that groundwater contributes about 62 percent of the total water requirement of Ghana. It contributes an average of 67 percent to Northern Ghana’s domestic water needs. The groundwater resources of Northern Ghana are obtained from a variety of hard rock units, comprising basement complex (crystalline) systems and varying Neoproterozoic sedimentary rock types and, therefore, have varying hydrogeological characteristics. Some of the hard crystalline and Neoproterozoic rocks are overlain by a thick argillaceous overburden of high porosity and low permeability characteristics. Groundwater development in these hard rocks is structurally-controlled and successful boreholes are characterised by variable yields, which range from less than 0.2 m3 h-1 to 500 m3 h-1 at depths ranging from 40 - 160 m. The hard rock aquifers of Northern Ghana are generally discrete, giving rise to localised flows, thus, making regional aquifer evaluations rather challenging. Even though groundwater constitutes the main water supply sources, its development is fraught with challenges that range from exploration through drilling to water quality issues. These challenges have been noted to be highly related to the nature and characteristics of the underlying geological formations. This paper discusses some of the challenges that have been experienced during the long period of hydrogeological field practices in the northern part of the country

Techno-economic comparative analysis of solar photovoltaic power systems with and without storage systems in three different climatic regions, Ghana

The techno-economic potential of two different photovoltaic power plants (PPP) (i.e. PV-only and PV-Battery) systems under three different climatic conditions in Ghana were presented in this paper. The System Advisor Model was used to model a 20 MW PPP at Wa, Sunyani and Nsawam to assess their technical and economic performances. The research took into consideration monthly energy generation, capacity factor (CF), sensitivity analysis, tracking systems and some financial parameters. Results from the analysis shows that the PV-only and PV-Battery systems with fixed-axis tracking (FT) technology generated an annual energy of 31 GWh at Wa and 28 GWh at Sunyani and Nsawam in the first year. CF ranging from 16% to 18% were obtained for both systems with FT technology for all sites. However, the integration of tracking systems (i.e. single-axis (SA) and double-axis (DA)) increased the annual energy to between 36 and 43 GWh with corresponding increases in CF ranging between 21% and 25%. The LCOE also decreased from 8 to 10 ¢/kWh for the FT system to 5–6 ¢/kWh for both SA and DA systems. In general, the northern section (Wa) was identified as the best location for the development of large-scale PPP in Ghana. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Agriculture for sustainable development: A SWOT-AHP assessment of ghana’s planting for food and jobs initiative

The exponential increase in the population of Ghana and the need to meet the population’s food security needs while creating job opportunities have necessitated the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative by the Government of Ghana (GoG). Using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analytical tool, we SWOT of the PFJ initiative. We further complemented the study with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) tool to rank the various criteria (factors) identified under the SWOT analysis. The study identified favorable environmental conditions as the highest strength, which recorded 59.3%, followed by agricultural lands availability (21.8%). Inadequate of financial services was identified as the highest weakness (55.8%), followed by over-reliance on climatic conditions (25.9%). High export potential relative to agricultural products in the country was identified as the highest opportunity, which recorded a weight of 50.3%. The One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative came up as the second highest opportunity. Negative ramification of climate change was identified as the main threat to Ghana’s agricultural sector (57.9%), followed by the importation of basic food products (25%). © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The paper is based on research carried out with the financial support of the grant of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), project number 20-011-00087 (Institutional factors and forms of rural development)

Clean energies for Ghana—An empirical study on the level of social acceptance of renewable energy development and utilization

Despite the enormous renewable energy (RE) resources available in Ghana, the country has not seen much development and investments in the sector. Therefore, the government has committed to increasing the share of RE in the country’s electricity generation mix to some 10% by 2030. However, this cannot be achieved without the Ghanaian people’s support since the RE sector is capital intensive and requires both public and private sector participation. This study was conducted to evaluate RE’s social acceptance among Ghanaian people using the ordered logit regression model. A total of 999 valid questionnaires out of 1020 distributed questionnaires were considered for the study. The five-point Likert scale was employed to rank their willingness to accept (WTA) RE. From the results, it was observed that there is a general sense of acceptance of renewable energy among Ghanaians. However, the level of acceptance varies from one respondent to another. The study observed that a majority of the respondents (i.e., approximately 45.65%) agree to their WTA renewable energy, while 36.04% strongly agree. The results also indicate that while 6.21% and 0.3% disagree and strongly disagree, 11.81% of the respondents were indifferent regarding their willingness to accept renewable energy development and utilization in Ghana. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The authors would like to acknowledge Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia Boris Yeltsin for the valued financial support for this study. We also thank all the survey enumerators and respondents who spent their precious time to collate the results to help us realize our objectives

Sustainable energy: Is it nuclear or solar for African Countries? Case study on Ghana

Increasing cost of generating energy through conventional sources coupled with environmental pollution concerns has led to the need to find more sustainable, clean and cheaper sources of energy generation. This paper evaluates two forms of energy: nuclear and solar energy for developing countries with a case study on Ghana. The research found out that Ghana like other several other developing countries have the opportunity to reduce their cost of electricity significantly should any of the under studied technologies be deployed. Obtained LCOE for the 20 MW modelled Solar power plant (SPP) in Navrongo ranges between 5.74 and 9.41 ¢/kWh for real discount and annual interest rates ranging between 1 and 25%. LCOEs of 125.53–125.55 $/MWh for discount rates between 3% and 15%, respectively were obtained for the 1200 MW nuclear power plant (NPP) expected to be constructed in Ghana. The research concluded with a suggestion that since the NPP project is capital intensive, development of SPP should be given the needed attention in the short to medium term to help build a resilient economy upon which NPP can be considered in the long term. Some financing models were also suggested for the construction of such capital-intensive projects. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Comparative evaluation of renewable energy scenario in Ghana

Availability of cheap, reliable and safe energy is very essential to the growth and development of every nation. This paper assesses solar radiation and wind speed at one site each in the southern, middle-belt and northern part of Ghana to estimate the potential of integrating solar and wind energy into the country's energy mix. The analysis included the financial viability of a possible 2.5 MW installed solar power plant in Gomoa, Kintampo and Navrongo. The RETScreen software was used for the feasibility and financial viability evaluation. The study found out that the southern part of the country experiences the least solar irradiation as it recorded 4.73 kWh/m2/day, the middle belt recorded 5.28 kWh/m2/day, the northern belt however recorded the highest level of solar irradiation of 6.07 kWh/m2/day. It was also found out from the research that the southern belt has the highest annual average wind speed of 2.8 m/s followed by the northern sector with 2.3 m/s and the least was recorded in the middle-belt with an average wind speed of 2.2 m/s. The financial indicators like the internal rate return, equity payback years, cumulative cash flows and simple profitability index all indicated that the northern sector is the best site for the development of solar energy although the other parts of the country are also positive. The impact of the development of these plants will also have a considerable impact on the environment since the research shows some 93% reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). © 2019 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Evaluating the Technical, Economic, and Environmental Performance of Solar Water Heating System for Residential Applications–Comparison of Two Different Working Fluids (Water and Glycol)

The use of solar water heaters (SWH) in both residential and commercial facilities is one of the possible ways to reduce electricity bills and the release of greenhouse gases (GHG). This study assessed the technical, economic, and environmental performance of a SWH system at six different locations in China (i.e., Lhasa, Lauchang, Wuhan, Kashi, Yumen, and Harbin). A comparison between two different working fluids (i.e., water and glycol) were modeled in the System Advisor Model in all six cities. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on some key technical and economic parameters to assess the impact of such parameters on the performance of SWH systems in the country. According to the results, Lhasa recorded the highest capacity factor of 11% and 10.70% using water and glycol as the working fluid, respectively. Lhasa was identified as the best location among the studied locations due to its high solar irradiation. The optimization study indicates that the optimum azimuth for China is 190°. It was also found that a 25% reduction in the outlet set temperature of the water can reduce the capacity factor from 11% to about 9.2%. Using the SWH as simulated in this study can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from 1252.87–2014.85 kg per year to 138.20–330.23 kg per year; the extent of reduction depends on the location of the SWHS, and the solar energy available at the area. Net electricity bill savings of $156–296 could be obtained if SWH systems were installed and used at the studied locations. © 2023 by the authors

Effect of Solar Tracking on the Economic Viability of a Large-Scale PV Power Plant

This paper evaluated the economic potential of three different photovoltaic energy technologies at a selected site, Wa, in the Upper West region of Ghana. The cost of energy and net present value metrics were used to ascertain the cost-effectiveness of these technologies (fixed, single and double axis tracker systems). From the analysis, all three technologies are economically viable at the selected site, however, a sensitivity analysis shows that the fixed axis tracker is unviable at a discount rate above 2 % whiles that of the single and double axis power plants also become impracticable at a discount rate above 6 % using the financial input parameters adopted for the study. This is an indication that, even though the selected site may have the required solar radiation for the development of large-scale PV power plant, there is the need to create the necessary conducive financial environment to enable such projects to become viable. The double axis tracking system was identified as the optimum system that should be deployed at the selected site to get the best in terms of affordability of electricity to consumers and equity payback. © 2020 Ephraim Bonah Agyekum et al., published by Sciendo 2020

Nuclear energy for sustainable development: SWOT analysis on Ghana's nuclear agenda

The development of clean and sustainable energy around the world has become a necessity as a result of the negative effect energy generated from fossil fuel have on the environment. Ghana intends to add nuclear power to its generation mix by 2029. This paper uses the SWOT analysis tool to assess the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats in the country relative to its nuclear power program. We found out that despite the country's effort towards meeting the requirements for the licensing, contracting, construction and operation of the facility, there are still some important loopholes which could delay the process. The research found out that Ghana has a lot of strengths and opportunities that makes an investment in nuclear power an economically viable option. However, issues such as porous security system, corruption, porous borders and policy discontinuity due to changes in political power are threats to the smooth implementation and operation of a nuclear power plant. The research therefore recommended to the government of Ghana to pay critical attention to some of these loopholes. We also looked at a particular weakness which is financing and provided some funding options for its development. © 2019 The Author

Using Matlab/Simulink Software Package to Investigate Fault Behaviors in HVDC System

Existing studies show that several performance issues will arise in the HVDC link during the three phase-to-ground fault at the side of the inverter and that the DC voltage will oscillate around zero and will not affect the rectifier of the AC system though the inverter of the AC system, and the AC voltages will become zero and the AC currents will show high amplitude as well as minor disturbances. It has also been argued that when the fault is applied on a single-phase to ground fault at the inverter side on the AC side, the voltage will decrease. In this paper, we focus on single line-to-ground fault, double line-to-ground fault, and three phase-to-ground fault at the inverter of the AC system and their behavior on the DC link as well as on the AC system of the rectifier with detailed simulations. A high voltage direct current (HVDC) Monopolar system is modeled using a Matlab/Simulink software package for the research. The results show that during the three phase-to-ground fault at the AC system of the inverter, the DC voltage will increase with a bogus waveform and the currents of the AC system at the rectifier will collapse to zero.At the double phase-to-ground fault level, the DC voltage will experience an increase in waveform while the currents of the AC system of the rectifier will experience different disturbances. At the single phase-to-ground fault level, the DC voltage will remain stable and the rectifier side of the AC system will also experience a stable state for both currents and voltages. © 2022 by the authors.Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Minobrnauka: FEUZ–2022-0031The research funding from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Ural Federal University Program of Development within the Priority-2030 Program) is gratefully acknowledged. Grant number: FEUZ–2022-0031