Abstract
Ghana has declared support for the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number seven which most importantly target ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. This target presents a formidable challenge to Ghana because the country still relies mainly on traditional biomass as its primary source of energy coupled with a chronically fragile hydropower sector. In this study, we assess Ghana’s potential in achieving sustainable goal number seven. Specifically, we comprehensively review the breakthroughs and impediments Ghana has experienced in its efforts towards improving its renewable energy potential. We note that while Ghana has made significant stride toward attaining energy efficiency, its effort at large-scale biofuel development hit a snag due to issues of “land grabbing” emanating both from local and foreign entities. In another breadth, several pilot studies and research initiatives have demonstrated the possibility of diversifying the energy sector with other renewable energy options including solar, wind, and small hydro. In spite of challenges encountered with the development of biofuels, our review concludes that Ghana retains vast reserves of renewable energy potential, which can be harnessed with the constantly improving technological advancements as it pursues SDG number seven.
Highlights
The 1970s oil crisis, the declining fossil fuel reserves, as well as global climate change has made many countries to seek low carbon alternatives to their energy supply [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Ghana produces a significant amount of waste in the form of municipal solid waste, food waste, and sewage sludge or bio-solids, which can be used in the production of biofuels
Ghana has performed creditably in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era and showed commitment to its goals. It has likewise embraced the global targets set in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), with the immediate past president co-chairing the United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s special group of advocates to develop ground-breaking ideas and ways to implement the pursuit and adoption of renewable and more sustainable energy systems around the world [25]
Summary
The 1970s oil crisis, the declining fossil fuel reserves, as well as global climate change has made many countries to seek low carbon alternatives to their energy supply [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Ghana’s electrification, it has contributed to increasing the price of electricity, without necessarily being able to contain the chronic energy crisis the country has contended with in the past few years This has happened despite the fact that Ghana recently discovered commercial quantities of oil, which together with a cheap natural gas supply from Nigeria supports its fossil-based electricity production [5,21,22]. A study by Deichmann et al [12] support this initiative by revealing the important role that decentralized renewable energy can play if a country like Ghana will achieve the overarching goal of sustainable energy for all Based on this foundation, this review is taken with an overall goal of examining Ghana’s renewable energy potential as envisaged by SDG number seven.
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