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- ItemDistributed Renewable Energy Systems in Ghana – a Techno Economic study of Solar Home Systems(SEPTEMBER, 2018) Addo, Juliet Mawunyo;Ghana’s urban population in the middle and high-income segments often seek electricity alternate power systems either as a solution in the face of power outages, or as a reliable second option. Some middle- and high-income household users seek to know what options there are, in relation to a second electricity source, and what the techno-economic implications could be. The study sought to assess the technical feasibility and economic benefits of investments in diesel generators and solar PV systems with battery storage. The cost-benefit scenarios of diesel generators were compared to those of Solar-PV systems with battery storage, using a daily base electrical load of 3.3kW peak. Simulations were run with HOMER, comparing options of combined grid and solar home systems, as well as combined grid and diesel generator systems. Running a household solely (considering the base load) on Ghana’s national grid offers a yearly operating cost of $839, translating to a monthly electricity bill of $70 (about GHc 330) and a total NPC of $10,732. Investing an initial amount of $1,332 in an SHS for the same household offers a yearly operating cost of $665, translating to a monthly electricity bill of $55 (about GHc 260) and a total NPC of $9,828. The difference between the total NPC of the grid-only system and that of the recommended SHS (i.e. $10,732 - $9, 828 = $904) offers a payback period of about a year and a half on the initial investment. Given the above results, an investment of $2,000 or less in a Solar PV system with battery storage is better than making that same investment in purchasing a diesel generator. The results show that an investment in purchasing a diesel generator to supplement the national grid provides very little or no benefits. Maintenance cost for each kilowatt of solar installation done is an average of USD $4 as compared to an average of USD $40 for a diesel generator system. There are also benefits in the inclusion of a renewable fraction (16% or more) in the energy supply of homes that invest in solar systems, contributing to goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) of the UN’s sustainable development goals.
- ItemTechno-economic analysis of a 2.5mw Grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic System at Navrongo in the Upper East Region of Ghana(JUNE, 2019) Yamoah, John Okine;This study presents the performance assessment of a 2.5MW utility scale grid-connected, ground mounted solar photovoltaic power plant installed at Navrongo, Ghana (100 53’N, 010 06‘W).The study uses the actual performance data (hourly energy output and environmental data from June 2013 to May 2016) from the Navrongo plant which has 8640 modules inclined at fixed angle of 12.50, five inverters and a power transformer which helps to connect the plant to the national grid. A total energy of 10643.3MWh was generated within the period under review with a yearly average of 3547.8MWh. Furthermore, the average daily reference yield, final yield, performance ratio, capacity factor and system efficiency of the PV installation over the reporting period were found as 5.92 h/day, 4.17 h/day, 70.4%, 17.2 and 11.53% respectively. These performance indicators are compared with those of countries like Italy, Crete, Morocco South Africa and Jordan. A simple payback period for the plant was found to be 7.2 years with carbon dioxide saving of 3852 metric tons. The findings from this study indicates that grid connected solar photovoltaic system for electricity generation is feasible in Ghana and could contribute significantly to Ghana’s electricity generation deficit without degrading the environment.
- ItemTechno-economic analysis of a 2.5mw grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic System at Navrongo in the Upper East Region of Ghana(2021-07-19) Yamoah, John Okine;This study presents the performance assessment of a 2.5MW utility scale grid-connected, ground mounted solar photovoltaic power plant installed at Navrongo, Ghana (100 53’N, 010 06‘W).The study uses the actual performance data (hourly energy output and environmental data from June 2013 to May 2016) from the Navrongo plant which has 8640 modules inclined at fixed angle of 12.50, five inverters and a power transformer which helps to connect the plant to the national grid. A total energy of 10643.3MWh was generated within the period under review with a yearly average of 3547.8MWh. Furthermore, the average daily reference yield, final yield, performance ratio, capacity factor and system efficiency of the PV installation over the reporting period were found as 5.92 h/day, 4.17 h/day, 70.4%, 17.2 and 11.53% respectively. These performance indicators are compared with those of countries like Italy, Crete, Morocco South Africa and Jordan. A simple payback period for the plant was found to be 7.2 years with carbon dioxide saving of 3852 metric tons. The findings from this study indicates that grid connected solar photovoltaic system for electricity generation is feasible in Ghana and could contribute significantly to Ghana’s electricity generation deficit without degrading the environment.
- ItemImpact of rainfall pattern on cocoa yield in Mampong Cocoa District in the Ashanti Region(NOVEMBER, 2019) Mensa, Jacqueline Nimakoaa;This study sought to examine the impact of rainfall pattern on cocoa yield in Mampong Cocoa District covering total land area (hectres) of 782km2 with 69 settlements in the Ashanti Region. Longitudinal research design was adopted for the study’s data collection and analysis. Time series secondary data was employed to engage in quantitative analysis. The study adopted Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models to examine both short run (S-RN) and long run (L-RN) impact of rainfall and temperature patterns on cocoa yield over a period of 13 years (from 2003 to 2016). Pixel values for temperature were obtained from Landsat 7 Thermal Band, while rainfall values were gathered from CHIRPS. In addition, data on cocoa yield were gathered from Ghana COCOBOD’s (2018) annual reports. The data were grouped in Microsoft Excel 2013, while Stata version 14 was used for the data analysis. The study found a significant L-RN (positive) relationship among change in cocoa yield and change in anRF and change in annual temperature (ΔanTmP) in the Mampong Cocoa District over time. However, both change in annual rainfall (ΔanRF) and change in anTmP have insignificant effect on change in annual cocoa yield in the S-RN period. It was therefore recommended that policies, programmes and interventions of the government and other stakeholder in the cocoa sector that would rely on rainfall and temperature pattern should be targeted for long term periods instead of short term. This is so because L-RN impact of rainfall and temperature on cocoa yield is highly significant; while the S-RN impact of rainfall and temperature cocoa yield is insignificant.
- ItemAn assessment of the status of occupational health and safety at Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Company Ltd (BOST) Kumasi Terminal(JUNE, 2019) Kumah, Gideon Amewugah;Oil and gas industries remain the backbone for many oil producing economies. The discovery of oil in Ghana raised high anticipation among Ghanaians for a remarkable rise in the living standards. The industry is, however, challenged with safety issues as more occupational accidents and injuries dominate the news headlines globally. Interruption in oil production caused by fires and accidents easily lead to huge economic losses and potential hazards to humans and the environment. This study is focused on an assessment of the status of occupational health and safety at Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Company, Kumasi branch. A sample of 100 respondents was purposively selected for the study. Data gathered were analyzed using statistical tools embedded in the Statistical Product for Service Solution Software (SPSS) and also Microsoft Excel. The results indicates that regulatory requirements and enhanced hazards management are the major motivating factors for complying with health and safety standards. Also, the highest contributing factor to the success of health and safety system design, implementation and continued improvement is education and training. Lack of access to adequate information, insufficient technical knowledge and skills, blame culture, resistance to change and lack of government support were the major challenges encountered during the implementation and continuous improvement of safety management system. The study recommends for various stakeholders to strengthen the regulatory requirements for the oil and gas industries. It is also recommended for BOST to consider motivation of employees as a major means for safety standards implementation. Finally, it is also recommended for a further study to be conducted on the implementation of safety standards in the oil and gas industry in a wide coverage beyond BOST- Kumasi.