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Ghana’s C&I market shows a high and still rising energy demand compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite improvements to the grid, power outages, disruptions and voltage fluctuations still occur frequently and diesel generators are used as backups.

Off-grid PV systems as a clean back-up

The improvements to the grid led to higher electricity prices and make investments in solar energy highly attractive. Due to falling costs and tax exemptions, PV-systems are nowadays a clean and reasonable complement to the grid and a good alternative to diesel generators.

HPW Fresh & Dry Ltd., a Swiss company producing dried and fresh fruits for export and local consumption, had an existing installation of 110kWp but due to continuous growth and expansion of the company’s infrastructure, its problems in energy consumption continued to increase. The company opted for renewable energy solutions to curb the high electricity and diesel consumption in its day-to-day operations; and to reduce the cost of maintaining generators when they break down.

Beba Africa, a renewable energy company from Germany, with a 20-year track record in development, engineering, construction and operation of solar plants and wind parks has installed a 360 kWp solar PV system using predominantly engineered in Germany components, including SMA inverters and Q Cells solar panels. It partnered with Tino Solutions, a local Solar EPC company which has benefited from the German Training Weeks and is now a leading solar EPC company in Ghana and a leading supplier of solar energy systems in West Africa.

The role of the PDP for knowledge sharing and business partnerships

Within the framework of the German Energy Solutions Initiative, the Project Development Programme (PDP) implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has for the past five years been organising the German Training Weeks (GTW). This is a multiday training programme in the field of solar power or project development designed to foster knowledge sharing and strengthen business partnerships through capacity building measures involving Ghanaian and German key players. The training programme has been very beneficial to participating German and local renewable energy companies and the collaboration between Beba Africa and Tino solutions is a classic example.

PDP helped to match the client with the German company and the local EPC company, providing contacts, scheduling meetings and helped to realise the project.

System Data

Installed capacity:	360 kWp
Investment volume:	unknown
Location:	Adeiso, West Akim district of the Eastern Region
Client:	HPW Fresh and Dry Ltd.
Completion:	2019
German business partner:	Beba Africa