Renewable energy and power: a review of the power sector reform and renewable energy law and policy nexus in Ghana

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Ghanaian government initiated its policy on power sector reform in 1995 to engender both structural and regulatory changes in the electricity market. Due to attainment of certain objective of the sector reform, some restructuring in the electricity market has been observed since the reform years. Other goals underpinning the sector reform such as the 100% national access to electricity are yet to be realized. About 30% of the Ghanaian population still lack access to electricity. This is despite the availability of renewable energy resources in Ghana and its potential for substantially increasing electricity generation capacity, which in turn, would help secure the supply of electricity. This paper examines the role of renewable energy in the power sector reform of Ghana and how the power sector reform of 1995 has contributed to the development of renewable energy law and policy in the country. Regulatory and structural changes that resulted from the power sector reform has contributed to the development of renewable energy law and policy in Ghana even though the potential for generating electricity from renewable energy resource in Ghana was overlooked during the power sector reform period.