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Ghana Solar Power Plants Would Amount To 28% Increase In Ghana’s Electricity Generation Capacity


We recently covered some big solar power plans for Ghana here on CleanTechnica. Right after that, I got an email from the COO of one of the companies involved in these plans, which included a first look at a press release from the company and some related pictures. Much of what was in there was already covered in the article linked above (and embedded below), but there were a couple of cool new nuggets in there that I wanted to make sure we shared. For one:

Ghana’s current energy generating capacity is 2,100MW and ISU Ghana will add an additional 28% to Ghana’s national grid upon completion.

Wow, that’s impressive. And there are other companies looking to install large solar power plants in Ghana, including what would be the largest in Africa. The Sustainable Equities Group (SEG) press release added:

Ghana is attempting to achieve an electricity generation capacity goal of 5,000MW by 2016. ISU will help Ghana achieve its goal while promoting local economic development.

solar cell ghana

Image Credit: Sustainable Equities Group

Of course, solar is a great, clean source of electricity. But solar power development + a solar panel factory is also a great job creator and economy booster. For the factory, the company anticipates hiring about 300 people for its construction and then about 350 people for year-round manufacturing. For the solar projects, it anticipates hiring 200 for the construction of each park, and about 200 for annual maintenance. The company expects to create “over 2,000 new direct green collar jobs in Ghana alone.”

ghana solar

Image Credit: Sustainable Equities Group

Aside from the cool facts, I love the pictures. For more info, check out our original post on these projects:

Huge Solar PV Power & Manufacturing Projects Headed To Ghana

 

The West African nation of Ghana will soon see a significant boost to its solar energy power capacity and its PV manufacturing capacity, according to recent reports from the Ghana News Agency.

The plans, put forth by the multinational firm International Solar Utilities, call for the development of 600 MW worth of PV power and 300 MW of PV manufacturing capacity.

 

The 600 MW of power capacity will be split amongst six 100 MW plants — spread out at already-identified sites in the country’s Western, Central, and Greater Accra regions. The module manufacturing plant will be built in the industrial town of Tema, somewhat east of the capital Accra.

ISU’s aim, based on statements from its representatives, is to use this proposed manufacturing plant to supply both itself (for future power plants) and also companies developing in neighboring countries.

PV Tech provides more:

James Brown, ISU’s chief operating officer, told the Ghana News Agency (GNU) that the plant would produce mono-crystalline PV panels under the brand of PN Solar, a manufacturer owned by ISU’s parent company, Sustainable Equities Group. The plant will have an annual capacity of 300 MW and cost an estimated US$85 million to build, Brown said.

Work is expected to begin on the site in June this year and when operational, it will produce PN Solar’s 72-cell, PN365W modules. ISU told GNU that it had already secured 800 acres of land in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region to build some of the proposed power plants. Electricity from the projects will be fed into Ghana’s national grid.

Given the country’s relatively stable government and political atmosphere, and its fast-growing economy and potential for solar energy, it’s no surprise that large multinationals are beginning to develop there. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in Ghana and the surrounding areas in the coming years with regard to solar energy.

Ghana is currently aiming to receive 10% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Also see:

Africa’s Largest Solar Power Plant To Be In Ghana

Largest African PV Project To Begin Construction Early 2014

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