Executive Director of the Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC), Ing. Justice Ohene-Akoto, has highlighted Ghana’s immense renewable energy potential, particularly in wind and solar, but says the country must urgently tackle critical technical, policy, and investment barriers to fully harness its clean energy opportunities.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Market Place on Tuesday, October 21, Ing. Ohene-Akoto said ASEC’s research on wind energy revealed that Ghana falls within a highly viable zone, between wind banks two and six, making it a strong candidate for large-scale renewable development.
“Ghana has very good wind potential, and when it comes to solar, we also have strong irradiance to harness energy effectively. So Ghana is very viable when it comes to renewable energy,” he said.
However, he noted that several barriers continue to stall progress.
These include technical challenges such as grid instability when integrating solar power, policy gaps that discourage investors, and the absence of innovative business models and sustainable environmental frameworks.
“When you feed solar into the grid, it can destabilize the frequency, which could collapse the system. The same applies to electric mobility, you can’t just put a thousand EVs on the grid without integration measures,” he explained.
Ing. Ohene-Akoto urged authorities to prioritise four critical areas: technology and innovation, policy reform, sustainable business models, and environmental friendliness, to build a resilient renewable energy future.
“Whatever we are doing must be sustainable and environmentally friendly. Once we get these right, Ghana will not only achieve energy security but also lead in clean energy across Africa,” he added.