Optimal techno-economic potential and site evaluation for solar PV and CSP systems in Ghana. A geospatial AHP multi-criteria approach

Abstract

In this study, the techno-economic potential and site suitability for utility-scale solar PV and CSP technologies have been estimated for Ghana. The overarching goal is to increase visibility of solar energy potentials to encourage and facilitate the uptake of renewable energy towards the global decarbonisation agenda as well as to expand energy access in the country. To assist policymakers in Ghana towards this agenda including potential areas for investment, the geographical, technical, and economic potentials for the two solar energy technology solutions have been assessed. In this study unlike many other studies, the AHP and Weighted Sum Average approaches have been applied in the ArcGIS Pro environment to estimate the two technology potentials at the national and regional levels. This combined approach is still in its infantry stages and thus contributes to a new body of knowledge from the international perspective in addition to its applicability at specific country level like Ghana. Results from the analysis show varying generation capacities for the selected solar energy technologies. Geographically, about 85% of total land area in Ghana is suitable for solar energy deployment. At the national level, a generation capacity of ∼68,622 TWh/year can be harnessed from utility-scale PV and ∼23,452 TWh/year from CSP systems. The LCOE for the utility-scale solar PV technology ranges from a minimum of about $0.04/kWh to a maximum of $0.15/kWh, and from ∼$0.73/kWh to ∼$2.89/kWh for the CSP technology in Ghana.