Policy and regulatory framework for renewable energy and energy efficiency development in Ghana

Abstract

What external support is needed to assist Ghana's domestic policies to overcome domestic barriers and increase the scope, scale and speed of adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies? Although Ghana has a well-established regulatory environment and institutional set-up, international cooperation and support are required to leverage domestic policy and create an enabling environment to accelerate the transition to affordable and reliable renewable energy. International support can also be used to enhance the activities of the Energy Foundation and energy service companies (ESCOs) as well as to increase the adoption of energy efficiency technologies through residential and industrial demand-side management (DSM) activities. Policy relevance: Despite domestic and international financial incentives, barriers from the regulatory framework and from conventional practice prevent the utilization of renewable resources in both grid-connected and off-grid applications. Tackling these barriers requires both government commitment towards a comprehensive strategy and support from different stakeholders to explore viable solutions. Such action can be supported, but not replaced, with international support for capacity building, technical assistance and finance. Experience from Ghana points to some success for such a strategy for energy efficiency measures but also highlights the importance of domestic and international structures that ensure continuity of an institution with sufficient resources for programme and project execution.