The overarching role of electric vehicles, power‑to‑hydrogen, and pumped hydro storage technologies in maximizing renewable energy integration and power generation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Globally, efforts are underway to keep global warming well below 1.5–2 °C as outlined in the Paris Agreement. Ghana plans to achieve 10 % renewable energy (RE) participation in the national energy mix by 2030. In the Renewable Energy Masterplan 2030, the target is a total installed RE utility scale of 1094.63 MW. In the current work, we propose a better pathway to gradual decarbonization of the Ghanaian energy sector (power, transport, industry, residential, and others) at higher technical levels of variable RE (VRE) penetration, 0 critical excess electricity production (CEEP), and lower cost than the 2030 Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario. In our proposed scenario, High Renewable Energy Penetration (HREP) 2030, we assess the overarching role of electric vehicle integration, power-to-gas (hydrogen), and pumped hydro storage technologies in maximizing VRE penetration in Ghana. The results from the current study show that it is technically feasible to include solar and wind power penetrations of 32.66 % and 38.11 % in the 2030 HREP scenario compared to the 2.64 % and 1.99 % of the 2030 BAU case, respectively. The HREP scenario will ultimately lead to 26.45, 30.86, and 23.34 % contribution of solar, wind, and thermal in the total electricity production in 2030 compared to the 2.36, 1.78, and 74 % of the BAU scenario, respectively. The CO2 emissions and its cost in the HREP case are 22.5 and 22.81 % lower than in the BAU case, and the total annual cost of the former is 12 % lower than the latter. The total electricity production from wind and solar energy alone in the 2030 HREP will create an additional 723 jobs and 11.96 Mt avoided CO2 emissions. The proposal made in the current study could usher in a long-term transition pathway that leads from the current fossil-based system to an affordable, efficient, sustainable, and secure energy future for Ghana. The findings presented in the current study should be of significance to decision-makers in formulating and adopting zero and low-carbon strategies for long-term decarbonization targets and planning in Ghana beyond 2030.