- Ghana’s justice minister says solar is a cheaper and more reliable alternative in the face of some schools’ power challenges.
- The price of natural gas reached record highs, and so did electricity in some markets, while oil prices hit their highest level since 2008.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Ghana, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has proposed using solar energy in Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country as a cheaper and more reliable alternative in the face of power challenges facing some schools.
According to him, it has become imperative for the nation to promote and deploy renewable energy efficiency measures in Ghanaian high schools to avoid undesirable situations where schools have their power supply cut off for non-payment of electricity bills and improve the learning environment of the schools.
“Solar energy, in my respectful view, is the most viable form of renewable energy the nation can rely on. As is clear, solar energy is derived from a natural source that is replenished at a far higher rate than it is consumed. Indeed, together with wind, sunlight is an energy source that is constantly being replenished.”
Mr Dame spoke at the 114th Speech and Prize-Giving Day of Adisadel College in Cape Coast, Central Region, on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
The Attorney General’s proposal comes at a time when there is an emerging energy crisis globally, and energy markets have been tightening since 2021 due to various factors, including the extraordinarily rapid economic rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The price of natural gas reached record highs, and so did electricity in some markets, while oil prices hit their highest level since 2008. The proposal also resonates with the facts that some senior high schools have had their power supply cut due to indebtedness, with Accra Academy being the latest to have its power supply cut on February 19, 2024.
Mr Dame said the persistence of energy challenges has made it imperative that Ghana embarks on what they described as ‘energy transition’, now considered a global priority as the world ramps up efforts to achieve climate goals.