Ghana’s Plastic manufacturer Miniplast will buy electricity from a 704 kW grid-connected solar array owned and operated by Norwegian renewable energy developer Empower New Energy AS.

Norway-based Empower New Energy has secured one of Africa’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the supply of solar electricity.

Empower, which has a focus on renewable energy project deployment in sub-Saharan Africa, said Ghanaian plastic manufacturer Miniplast Limited has agreed to buy electricity from a 704 kW rooftop solar array to be installed on its manufacturing and recycling facility in Accra, in the Ghanaian capital.

“The plant will be installed and operated by Stella Futura Ltd under a power sales agreement signed between the three partners,” Empower New Energy said. “The investment will be made through a local project company majority owned by Empower Invest, the impact investment fund managed by Empower New Energy.” Stella Futura will act as EPC contractor for the project.

Terms

The financial terms of the PPA were not revealed.

The rooftop installation is slated to become operational in July.

A bilateral solar PPA in Africa was signed in January 2019 between Egyptian solar company SolarizEgypt and the Arabian Cement Company.

to be set up on factory rooftops of Miniplast in Spintex Industrial Area of Accra city, the 704 kW system is planned to be grid connected by July 2020. It will help the manufacturer reduce its consumption of diesel to power its factories while bringing down its electricity costs.

“We’re excited to install one of the largest industrial and commercial solar PV systems in Ghana,” said Nadim Ghanem-Pares, Deputy Managing Director of Miniplast Limited. “Furthermore, this will be a flagship project to promote the use of renewable energy within the Spintex Industrial enclave of Accra.” Empower Invest’s Empower New Energy (EmNEW) is funded by Norway’s development fund for emerging markets Norfund, and European Union’s first electrification financing initiative, Electrify, among others.

Ghana is increasing efforts to raise the share of renewables in its electricity mix. Under its energy strategy, the nation wants 2.5 GW of renewable energy generation capacity – probably including hydroelectric – by 2030. Ghana had just 64 MW of solar capacity at the end of 2018, according to International Renewable Energy Agency statistics.

Credit

This article was originally written by Emiliano Bellini.He joined pv magazine in March 2017. He has been reporting on solar and renewable energy since 2009.

Siemens partners WestPark for industrial park in Takoradi

Siemens has announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with WestPark Enterprises to develop an expandable microgrid solution for the fast-growing industrial and business park based in Takoradi, Western Ghana.

The Westpark aims to eliminate many of the challenges faced by companies doing business in Sub-Sahara Africa, such as access to reliable power, water, broadband internet and transport.

The new industrial park is poised to accelerate the transformation of Takoradi – Ghana’s third-largest city.To lay the foundations for reliable, competitive and efficient energy, WestPark has entered into a partnership with Siemens.

As part of the agreement, Siemens will develop a 250kW microgrid that controls the energy generation for the initial phase of buildings to be constructed at WestPark.

Siemens will design the microgrid so that the first phase of WestPark can be powered entirely by renewable energy and therefore provide a sustainable and cost-effective solution for tenants.

On-site photovoltaic panels will power the microgrid and a back-up battery storage solution will be sourced as well.

The grid can be expanded as more buildings are added with the aim of ensuring that the park remains powered by renewable energy.

According to Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO of Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, “This project is perfectly in line with Siemens’ vision for future business in Ghana and other African countries. As a company, we are continuously looking for new responsible and efficient energy and infrastructure solutions, and our collaboration with WestPark is a good example of how we can support partners with similar goals.”

Siemens is specifically committed to economic growth across Africa, and in doing so in a forward-thinking manner by implementing environmentally sustainable solutions that will help its partners and customers succeed in today’s environmentally-conscious global market.

Siemens AG is a German conglomerate company headquartered in Berlin and Munich and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the company are Industry, Energy, Healthcare, and Infrastructure & Cities, which represent the main activities of the company.