- The Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM) has switched to solar in a bid to join the worldwide campaign of just energy transition.
- The project will also inspire other firms to follow GCM’s footprints, promoting environmentally and socially responsible mining.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM) has switched to solar in a bid to join the worldwide campaign of just energy transition. The primary minerals industry association of the country has inaugurated an 84 kWp innovative grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its secretariat in Accra. The ultra-modern solar PV system is designed to meet the electricity requirement of the GCM. At peak conditions, the system can generate 111,000 kWh of clean energy, and its use has reduced GCM’s electricity consumption from the national grid by 75%.
The recent investment exhibits the Chamber’s efforts to reduce its dependency on the national grid and lessen its carbon footprints as embodied in Sustainable Development Goal 7. Renewable power developer Stella Futura constructs the solar PV system at a total cost of around $122,316. Sulemanu Koney, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said the solar PV project encourages the transition of the Ghanaian mining industry from reliance on fuel-based energy to renewable energy. The project will also inspire other firms to follow GCM’s footprints, promoting environmentally and socially responsible mining.
Koney added that high statutory payments were disincentives to the clean energy transition. Nearly 11% of the solar project’s contract cost represents statutory taxes and levies. Although the government has exempted imported solar panels from the value-added tax, the payment for the whole project is still subjected to these statutory taxes and levies. The CEO appealed to the government to implement more incentives for clean energy projects and waive the taxes and levies at the service provider’s end. He also urged the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to accelerate its work on the net-metering system.