ADDRESSING GHANA’S ENERGY CRISIS- THE FEASIBLE SOLUTIONS

          The costly spate of Ghana’s protracted energy crisis has been a hot topic in both formal and informal public fora for a while now. Rather recently, the Yvonne Nelson led #dumsormuststop campaign, the accompanied “dumsor vigil” and the list of entertainment stars and politicians/public officials who continue to debate and discuss it has made the topic even more controversial and contested. Just the otherday I saw a comment on twitter that the word “Dumsor”- literally meaning “off-and-on”- was on Wikipedia. I was curious enough to look it up and true to the tweet it was there, live and colored hooting a loud “shh-aaaaame” to all Ghanaians (feel free to look it up too). But amidst all this ruckus, I see Ghanaians loosing focus of what I believe should and ought to be the main goal of these needlessly politicized discussions. What I have noted is that, whereas the discussion of the economy crippling, business crumbling and livelihood distorting effects of Ghana’s energy crisis is over-subscribed and passionately debated in all circles of the country, discussions on the search for lasting solutions and workable proposals are barely discussed. Ghanaians seem to be so engrossed in unnecessary, partisan politics and blame game that we have, as far as I can see, not dedicated enough time and effort to looking for feasible ways of solving such a pressing national problem or, at least, discussing feasible solutions in a unified, mature and decorous manner. The little problem –solving discussions that I am aware of have generated options all of which are “possible solutions” but many of which are either far-fetched or simply over-ambitious.

          I have discussed possible solutions to dumsor with a good number of my friends (both Ghanaian and otherwise) and the opinions have been quite interesting. But I will cut to the chase and delve into why some options are more feasible than others and why others are “outliers”. My opinions are defined by Ghana’s current economic standing, the current level of technological development and resource management and the projected impacts of the various energy options on the environment, pocket and people of Ghana. Overall, 4 main options are on the table; nuclear energy, hydro-electricity, petroleum/gas/coal powered thermal energy, solar power and wind power. Each one of these options is a laudable alternative, but when it comes to cost, management and environmental impact, some of them lose their feasibility in the face of the specific demands and peculiar situation of Ghana. Let’s analyze each option.

          First, nuclear energy. To be honest, I find this option laughable. It works for countries like the United States and China but certainly not for Ghana. Yes, Ghana’s demand for electricity keeps growing at a very rapid rate but we are still very far from the need for nuclear energy.  Ghana’s future energy demands, as far as I can see, do not require nuclear plants and energy. For one thing, nuclear plants are very expensive to build, stock, manage and maintain, costs that our lower-middle income country can barely afford and definitely cannot sustain. Nuclear powered states like the USA and China spend millions of dollars each year to keep nuclear reactors and plants operating at safe, well controlled levels, I honestly do not think Ghana can afford such high costs now or anytime in the near future. That aside, nuclear energy comes with some serious environmental and public safety concerns. Consider the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters and their life-altering impacts on Russia and Japan…did that joggle your memory? What about the lives lost and the millions spent and lost in containing and halting the spread of the nuclear contamination…and the fact that vast areas remain contaminated and uninhabitable? Ghana is simply not in the position to either finance nuclear plants, guarantee the safety of the environment and the public or bear the cost of combating radiation in case disaster strikes.

         A nuclear reactor can be a nearly uncontrollable, destructive force if not properly and safely monitored and maintained. Preventing nuclear disasters require immense knowledge and skill in nuclear reaction and nuclear energy production, expensive maintenance, and a whole lot of technology, technical know-how and management skills that Ghana, at its current technological and economic level, does not possess and may not possess anytime soon. This means, choosing nuclear energy will require that the country hires foreign nuclear experts to run or at least oversee our nuclear energy production not to mention the huge cost of nuclear reactor plants. Anyone with a minimum understanding of the concepts of economics, public safety and national security will tell you this is a recipe for disaster.  That said, nuclear energy for Ghana now and in the near future is a BIG NO, NO.

          Next, hydro-electricity, the premier energy source for Ghanaians. Since the completion of the Akosombo dam in 1952, energy generation in Ghana has become almost synonymous with hydro-electricity. The Akosombo hydro-electric dam has served Ghanaians for decades and will continue to do so for a long, long time more. Hydro-electricity is not too dear because the most important input, water, is freely provided by Mother Nature. Once a country clears the costly hurdle of constructing the dam and installing the countless machines, the maintenance and management aspect becomes a breeze, as long as there is enough water, hydro-power will flow (pun intended). But droughts, lower rainfall and delayed rains are natural possibilities that threaten hydro-power production. All water bodies flow from and to somewhere and are unhindered by the artificial boundaries of countries. This means a single water body can be dammed in several places drastically reducing the flow of water downstream and limiting power generation.  It will therefore be unwise for Ghana to bank its hopes of a steady supply of electricity on hydro-electric power. As was evident in years 2007 and 2008, delayed/ reduced rainfall and drought can have a debilitating on the supply of hydro-electric power in Ghana so our solutions to the dumsor problem must be one that avoids or at least overcomes these challenges.

            As far as I can see, the best solution to Ghana’s energy crises is solar power. Yes, that nearly insatiable supply of radioactive energy from the sun is Ghana’s best bet at ensuring a steady and reliable energy supply while minimizing economic and environmental costs. Ghana, especially Northern Ghana, has a massive supply of sunlight that can be harnessed for power generation.  With ample sunshine almost all year round, Ghana has the potential to be make good savings on energy generation and supply by relying on solar power and cutting down on hydro and thermal electricity. I honestly cannot comprehend why such a move has been so long in coming when the past holds evidence of some usage of solar energy. I remember seeing solar panels on payphones across the country as far back as the early 2000s. Yet, about a decade on and we still do not seem to have much faith in the power of the sun to the extent that successive governments would rather talk about gas pipelines and thermal plants and barely pay heed let alone make financial and political commitments to solar power.

The sun is expected to keep burning for billions of years more, offering centuries of free, reliable and stable energy supply. It is time Ghana joins in harnessing solar power to solve our pressing and crushing energy crises and its devastating and prolonged negative effects on productivity, employment and development in Ghana. Countries like Greece, Peru and South Africa have joined leading economies like Sweden, USA and Germany in developing their solar power capacities and Ghana has no excuse not to closely explore the possibilities and benefits and follow suit. From North to south, East to West nowhere in our beautiful, tropical country is sunshine lacking. There are vast lands all across the country where solar farms can be established to produce high volumes of power for the country. For instance a solar farm anywhere in the three Northern regions (and even in Brong- Ahafo) can provide electricity to many, many people in these regions so that the Akosombo dam (And perhaps the Bui dam too) will only serve the densely populated regions in the South and their high energy demand.

When it comes to energy production and supply, Ghana is better off having a production and supply capacity over and above present demand because the need for electricity will only keep growing. This means the country must be able to plan for the geometric increases in future NOW so that this dumsor problem does not happen ever again. I read from an October 26, 2015 post on myjoyonline.com that after months of “hide and seek” the one of two power barges that are to arrive from Turkey to help alleviate Ghana’s energy crises is finally set to set sail and arrive in the country in 2 to 3 weeks. The combined output of the two power barges-which are to run on petroleum fuel- stand at an estimate of about 1300 megawatts. As far as I am concerned, this is not a cost effective measure and it has been necessitated by years of lack of planning on our energy supply. I do not claim to know the “true” cost of this transaction but former head of the Volta Rive Authority (VRA), energy expert Dr. Wereko Brobbey is reported to have pegged it at US$100 million excluding added cost of maintaining and fueling them for however long they will be in use. But my elementary economics and limited common sense tells me that Ghana will be far better off finding a lasting, sustainable solution to this problem than massaging it and making such wrongful spending decisions. Dr Wereko Brobbey is reported on myjoyonline.com to have said that the power barges may have been necessary back in 2013-2014 when the energy crises was at its peak but given that the mechanical problems that hindered production in the Akosombo and Bui power stations are now reported to have been resolved there is no need to spend such a huge amount on a temporary measure. We ought to be planning ahead not providing short-term management solution to problems that can be effectively solved. US$100 million is enough to begin the establishment of a solar farm anywhere in the country why are we not doing that?

But the blame is not all on our leaders and political heads, we the consumers are at fault too. The government is spending millions of dollars subsidizing a utility that is in short supply and any attempts to reduce the cost burden of the government through increased utility tariffs is met with resistance from a population spoiled by years of paying tariffs at below the market price even though we generally exhibit apathy to energy conservation and many are still illegally connected to the national grid. The truth is that the government needs money to finance better energy supply and Ghanaians ought to pay (Fully that is) for energy consumed. As to whether or not the supply is stable and reliable should not factor in the tariff because you pay for what you use and pay nothing if there is no supply. The “We will pay only if supply improves” is nothing but a pitiful, childish way of defending an unpatriotic position that impoverishes our nation. But guess what, politicians are afraid to lose votes and so are eager to bend to the whims and caprices of the masses to satisfy their short term needs instead of looking to the economic, social and political rewards of having a well-structured and highly productive nation. More efficient and cost effective power supply will help lower tariffs and save the nation money, thus appeasing both sides of the debate but that cannot possibly be done without planning and making the right choices for our dear nation.  

Cliché as it may sound, the possibilities of a Ghana that relies on solar power for much of its energy supply is endless; reliable and sustainable supply of power, lower tariffs, reduced environmental pollution and degradation, and reduced cost to the government and consumers among many others. I hope President Mahama returns from the India-Africa Summit in New Delhi ready to act on his promise to join in India’s green energy project after lauding it and virtually pledging to sign our nation up. I also hope this post will awaken decision makers to the benefits of a solar-powered economy and inform them to formulate and implement policies for its implementation and maintenance. #enddumsor.