Ghana on track to commissioning Africa’s largest solar power plant – Nzema Solar Plant

Conceptual rendering of the Nzema solar power plant in Ghana. PHOTO/File

Ghana is on track to completing the construction of Africa’s largest solar power plant, and by extension, one of the largest in the world.

The Nzema solar plant, located 271 kilometers (168 miles) north west of the capital Accra, is expected to generate 155 Megawatts of power, – enough to power over 100,000 homes, will be completed in October 2015.

The project has created over 500 hundreds of job in Ghana – the spin off in terms of employment to the economy in the medium term will be the creation of 2000 jobs, and is expected to boost the country’s electricity capacity by 6 percent.

The Nzema plant is situated on over 182 hectares (450 acres), and once completed will comprise of a huge solar array including 630,000 photovoltaic modules mounted on 37,000 tonnes of supporting steel with 2,000 kilometers (1243 miles) of connecting cables.

The commissioning of the Nzema solar plant next year is evidence that the country is on track to increasing its electricity generation from the current production of 2,846 Megawatts to 5,000 Megawatts by the end of 2016.

Over the past decade, Ghana has been working aggressively to reduce its vulnerability to droughts and their negative impact to hydroelectric electricity generation. The country has significantly cut its proportion of hydroelectric power from 91.5 percent in 2000 to 67.5 percent in 2011. Authorities believe that solar power will become a more reliable source of energy in the medium to long term future.

Ghana’s forward-thinking strategy puts it in a strong position to lead the renewable energy revolution in sub-Saharan Africa. The Nzema solar plant is a case study in how governments can unlock the huge potential for solar energy in Africa.