[ 2016-06-28 ]

Companies in renewable energy require registration - Energy Commission
The Chairman of the Energy Commission, Dr Kwame
Ampofo, has asked players in the renewable energy
sector to register their operations with the
commission before going about their business in
the country.

He said besides being mandatory, doing that would
also give the commission the opportunity to test
and certify their solutions and products against
standards and specifications, adding that the
commission´s approval would inure to the benefit
of the companies.

Dr Ampofo gave the advise in Munich, Germany,
where he was leading a five-member delegation of
the commission to the International solar
exhibition, interSolar 2016.

The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in
Ghana (AHK Ghana) facilitated the commission's
participation in the annual solar exhibition as
part of Ghana’s efforts to promote renewable
energy deployment in the country. The commission
also had the opportunity to visit some renewable
energy projects, including mini-grids in solar and
biomass as well as rooftop solar installations in
selected cities in Germany.

The delegation included Dr Rudith King, Mr
Innocent Akwayena, both board members, Ms Cecilia
Agbenyega, Board Secretary and Head of Legal at
the commission, and Mr Ken Appiah, a technical
employee at the renewables department of the
commission.

At a meeting at Munich Messe, the exhibition
centre, with officials of REC Energy Systems, a
German company which produces solar panels and
other solar solutions including installations, Dr
Ampofo urged the company, which was about to open
its regional office in Accra in a few weeks, to
work closely with the commission for the necessary
supporting policy and information to help it to
succeed in Ghana.

The Energy Commission chairman said for instance
the commission had held meetings with several
banks in Ghana on the need to design financial
solutions for customers interested in deploying
renewable energy systems such as solar power, and,
therefore, new companies which approached and
worked closely with the commission did not have to
reinvent the wheel, contacting banks again.

The government has announced a rooftop solar
project to provide 20,000 solar panels to homes by
the close of the year.

Considering that the year is already half way
through, speed is of essence and the commission
does not want companies that can play in that
sub-sector to start market research and other
searches on its own but use the commission and the
work it has already done on behalf of investors as
a plug and play system for quicker deployment of
their operations.

Dr Ampofo enumerated a number of measures the
commission had put in place to encourage private
sector participation and a boom in the solar
energy space.

REC´S Regional Sales Director for Africa, Mr
Filip Casaer, was upbeat about enormous potential
for solar energy investments in Ghana.

However, he said, the company was developing a
kit solution to make solar panels adaptable to
roofs in Ghana following a colonial design pattern
that was not suitable for solar panels.

“After our assessment, we realised that people
were going for the colonial type which for solar
is not ideal in terms of the roof shapes. So we're
developing kit solutions for the residential
market in Ghana," Mr Casaer said.

He said the system would be plug and play so that
it could be easily installed without the need for
technicians.

From the start, the company will make available
2.1kWh solutions for residential customers.

Source - Daily Graphic

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