- Kumasi’s largest rooftop solar plant now powers Rider Green Steel.
- Daystar Power, owned by Shell, installed 7,524 solar panels on Rider Steel’s factory roof, connecting it to Ghana’s electricity grid.
Kumasi’s largest rooftop solar power plant, with a 4.3 MW capacity, is now operational. It supplies clean electricity to Rider Green Steel, contributing to the decarbonisation of Ghana’s steel industry. Daystar Power, a renewable energy producer owned by Shell, installed 7,524 solar panels on Rider Steel’s factory roof. This connects the facility to Ghana’s national electricity grid.
Jasper Graf von Hardenberg, Daystar Power’s CEO, stated that the 4.3 MWp plant is one of West Africa’s largest industrial-scale solar installations and seamlessly integrates into the grid. The plant aligns with Rider Steel’s development and decarbonisation strategy in Ghana. In 2020, the International Finance Corporation granted $12 million to support its expansion.
This funding aims to increase Ghana’s steel production by over 75 per cent, focusing on locally sourced steel scrap. Recognising steel as a significant CO2 emitter, the World Steel Association reports that the sector contributed 7.6 per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. Industrial emissions accounted for 31 per cent of this total. The urgency for decarbonisation underscores the crucial role of renewable energies in transforming heavy industries.