Renewable Energy Integration in Ghana: The Role of Smart Grid Technology

Abstract

The use of renewable energy sources (RES) in power generation are increasing in many countries but the nature of it brings new challenges to the prevailing electricity system. The RES cannot integrate effectively with extremely variable and distributed energy resources. The introduction of smart grid technologies in modern energy systems has brought a model change in redefining the energy structure in the years ahead. Ghana's energy system in the recent years has suffered many setbacks resulting in almost six years of load shedding. The power situation has affected industrialization and domestic sectors of the country's economy. The condition also has affected the progress of the country's fragile economy. Due to the recent restructuring of the energy sector, a larger population does not have access to reliable supply of energy and only 59.8% of the population has access to electricity supply. Poor state of Ghana's electricity sector is ascribed to the ineffective power plants, outdated transmission and distribution systems, as well as outmoded metering methods used. This paper examined the role and the impact of smart grid technology and RES integration in Ghana. We look at how one can introduce the technology to improve the current poor condition of the energy sector. We reviewed literature on the current energy situation in Ghana, looked at other case studies where smart grid was used effectively, identified the main challenges and proposed the way forward by introducing smart grid technology into the system.