Electricity Company Of Ghana Research Articles

Forecasting household energy consumption based on lifestyle data using hybrid machine learning

Household lifestyle play a significant role in appliance consumption. The overall effects are that, it can be a determining factor in the healthy functioning of the household appliance or its abnormal functioning. The rapid growth in residential consumption has raised serious concerns toward limited energy resource and high electricity pricing. The propose 134% electricity tariffs adjustment by Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) at the heat of economic hardships caused by Covid-19 has raised serious public agitation in Ghana (west Africa) . The unpredictable lifestyle of residential consumers in an attempt to attain a comfortable lifestyle and the rippling effects of population growth burdens energy demand at the residential sector. This study attempts to identify the lifestyle factors that have great influence on household energy consumption and predict future consumption of the household with mitigating factors to cushion the effects on high consumption. The study is based on lifestyle data using hybrid machine learning. The hybrid model achieved high accuracy (96%) as compared to previous models. The hybrid model performance was evaluated using mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R) metrics.

A GSM-Based Fault Detection on Overhead Distribution Lines

Power distribution in Ghana is managed by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) which is responsible for ensuring accessibility of electricity to consumers. One of the challenges that affect the effective operation of ECG is the slow response to faults on the overhead distribution lines. Fault detection on the distribution lines is a very tedious activity but a necessary procedure to ensure efficient power distribution to consumers. This paper seeks to design a system that can detect faults, the type of faults and their location before they cause any casualties to transformers and other power system equipment. This would replace the primitive method of patrolling and manual inspection of faults currently done by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). This objective was achieved using a GSM-based system on an Arduino platform and ATmega 328P microcontroller to locate the occurrence of faults efficiently. Faults are introduced into the system by triggering the type of fault on the Arduino platform which opens the corresponding relay of the line fault. The opening of this relay sends a signal to the microcontroller and a corresponding LED which switches to display the type of fault. The microcontroller then communicates to the GSM module which displays the said fault and location on a display screen with the help of a virtual terminal. This system was tested under the various unsymmetrical faults to show the efficiency of the system using C++ programming. The simulation shows that the system offers a fast fault response time.

An Overview of Scientific Production of Renewable Energies in Ghana

Ghana is experiencing an increase in energy demand as a result of increased industrialization activities. Nonrenewable energy sources, such as combustible fuels like petroleum, are the primary source of energy. Nonrenewable energy resources are associated with a number of issues, including environmental pollution. Renewable energy is a sustainable source of energy that is critical to the energy sector and the economy’s progress. Hydropower, biomass, solar energy, and wind energy are among the renewable energy resources available in Ghana. In Ghana, key institutions are responsible for the management and development of energy sources in the renewable energy sector. Among these institutions is the Ministry of Energy, which is responsible for the formulation and implementation of laws and policies, for instance, the Renewable Energy Act of 2011. Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company (GGC), and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) are among the institutions under the Ministry of Energy. There are also regulatory agencies established by parliamentary act to ensure that all actors in the sector are working properly. Among these are the Energy Commission, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PUR), and the National Petroleum Authority. Active nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), research institutes and universities, and industry are also involved in renewable energy activities.

Managing System Losses to Improve Energy Efficiency within the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Limited

The inability to achieve the target of universal access to electricity is influenced by several factors including funding limitations, the use of obsolete equipment, power theft, and system losses confronting the electricity distribution services of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG). The study assessed the components of system losses within the ECG by determining and computing the percentage of system losses within ECG, examining the causes of both commercial and technical losses in ECG, and determining ways to improve energy efficiency by reducing system losses in the most cost-efficient manner. The study adopted deductive reasoning and a quantitative approach to guide data collection and analysis of the research output. A sample of 345 technical and non-technical staff of ECG in the Greater Accra Metropolis was selected from a population of 2500. Purposive, simple random, and cluster sampling techniques were used in identifying and accessing respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics were applied to measure central tendency and degrees of dispersion and the Relative Importance Index (RII) to predict criterion and predictor variables. The impact of low voltage network losses can adversely contribute to technical losses (20%) and reduce energy efficiency in power or electricity distribution companies. Non-technical losses are mainly caused by illegal connections, meter problems, and billing problems. Each of the non-technical losses contributes a maximum of 10% to system losses. Contributors to system losses at ECG are ranked first for power theft and least for lack of incentives. System losses at ECG include metering inaccuracies, bad workmanship, unmetered supply, and lengthy distribution lines, each recording a mean value of above 3.5. Measures to improve monitoring of the networks and systems at ECG and discourage power theft should include an extensive quantification, patrolling, and inspection of the entire network to assess the extent of the network and conditions relevant for the placement of systematically planned maintenance programmes.

Exploring the value of ICT in warehouse management at the electricity company of Ghana, Takoradi

This study sought to examine the effectiveness of Information Technology in warehouse management using the Electricity Company of Ghana, Takoradi as a case study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the respondents from ECG in Takoradi. Public procurement and supply chain officers and other staffs from various departments were employed for the study. The data collected were analyzed by using percentages, relative importance index, mean score and median. The findings revealed lack of technology is a key challenge of stock control in organization productivity in Electricity Company of Ghana at Takoradi. The organization does not have adequate inventory control measures in place. Training of staffs at the organization helped them to comply with the rules and regulations for stock control. The organization has adequate warehouse space to hold additional stock. The organization has stock control systems available. However, performance contracts are impediments to works. Also, internal and external controls are rarely monitored. It is therefore recommended that there should be proper distribution planning to enhance organizational productivity in the state corporations, especially ECG. The public organizations should have internal assessment when planning. The distribution planning should ensure timely delivery. The organization should ensure that the participatory planning is adequate. The study proposes the need for investigating on appropriate ways to increase formalization of information technology adoption in order to enhance adoption of modern technologies in inventory management as a tool to boost performance. The study concludes that Electricity Company of Ghana should invest more in modern technologies for example enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in order to achieve system integration, minimize communication costs, enhance efficiency and increase sharing of information which will eventually lead to improved performance.

Evaluating effects of ICT on materials management at Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Takoradi

Evaluating effects of ICT on materials management at Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Takoradi

Total Factor Productivity Growth of Ghanaian Electricity Distribution Utilities Using Data Envelopment Analysis and Malmquist Index (2000–2020)

The increasing need for electricity access to drive economic growth, social development, poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability requires that efficient allocation of scarce and competing resources in the generation, transmission and distribution subsectors of the electricity sector is indispensable. This paper analyses total factor productivity growth in a single input multiple-output framework in Ghana. The technique applied is data-orientated nonparametric Data Envelopment Analysis using Win4Deap 2 software. Total Factor Productivity Change is evaluated through Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI), as well as technological change (TECHC) and efficiency change (EFFCH) using firm-level panel data. Sources of productivity growth comparison are made between Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) for the periods 2000 to 2020. The results show TECHCH marginally declined at an average annual rate of 0.3% and drives the electric power distribution productivity regress in ECG and NEDCO from 2000 to 2020. Further, the results indicate stagnation in scale efficiency, pure efficiency and efficiency change when estimated over 20 years. At firm levels comparison, the study shows that the Northern Electricity Distribution Company recorded a productivity growth rate of 4.9%, mainly due to technical progress. However, the Electricity Company of Ghana experienced a slight deterioration of productivity performance due to a 5.3% decline in technical efficiency. The study offers several policy recommendations on how the underperforming firm can learn to improve efficiency and technical to reduce electricity transmission losses.

Statistical Analysis of Electric Power Distribution Grid Outages

Power systems in general supply consumers with electrical energy as economically and reliably as possible. Reliable electric power systems serve customer loads without interruptions in supply voltage. Electric power generation facilities must produce enough power to meet customer demand. Electrical energy produced and delivered to customers through generation, transmission and distribution systems, constitutes one of the largest consumers markets the world over. The benefits of electric power systems are integrated into the much faster modern life in such extent that it is impossible to imagine the society without the electrical energy. The rapid growth of electric power distribution grids over the past few decades has resulted in a large increment in the number of grid lines in operation and their total length. These grid lines are exposed to faults as a result of lightning, short circuits, faulty equipment, mis-operation, human errors, overload, and aging among others. A fault implies any abnormal condition which causes a reduction in the basic insulation strength between phase conductors or phase conductors and earth, or any earthed screens surrounding the conductors. In this paper, different types of faults that affected the electric power distribution grid of selected operational districts of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Western region of Ghana was analyzed and the results presented. Outages due to bad weather and load shedding contributed significantly to the unplanned outages that occurred in the medium voltage (MV) distribution grid. Blown fuse and loose contact faults were the major contributor to unplanned outages in the low voltage (LV) electric power distribution grid.

Statistical Analysis of Electric Power Distribution Grid Outages

Power systems in general supply consumers with electrical energy as economically and reliably as possible. Reliable electric power systems serve customer loads without interruptions in supply voltage. Electric power generation facilities must produce enough power to meet customer demand. Electrical energy produced and delivered to customers through generation, transmission and distribution systems, constitutes one of the largest consumers markets the world over. The benefits of electric power systems are integrated into the much faster modern life in such extent that it is impossible to imagine the society without the electrical energy. The rapid growth of electric power distribution grids over the past few decades has resulted in a large increment in the number of grid lines in operation and their total length. These grid lines are exposed to faults as a result of lightning, short circuits, faulty equipment, mis-operation, human errors, overload, and aging among others. A fault implies any abnormal condition which causes a reduction in the basic insulation strength between phase conductors or phase conductors and earth, or any earthed screens surrounding the conductors. In this paper, different types of faults that affected the electric power distribution grid of selected operational districts of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Western region of Ghana was analyzed and the results presented. Outages due to bad weather and load shedding contributed significantly to the unplanned outages that occurred in the medium voltage (MV) distribution grid. Blown fuse and loose contact faults were the major contributor to unplanned outages in the low voltage (LV) electric power distribution grid.

Optimum Sizing and Siting of an Embedded Solar Photovoltaic Generation: A Case Study of 33 kv Sub-Transmission Network at Tarkwa, Ghana

The interconnection of Solar PV to the Tarkwa Bulk Supply Point (BSP) has become necessary in order to provide additional capacity to meet the ever-increasing demand of Tarkwa and its environs during the day. The Solar PV Plant will support the Tarkwa BSP during the day. In this study, a grid impact analysis for the integration of Solar PV plant at three points of common coupling (PCC) at Tarkwa Bulk Supply Point’s (BSP) 33 kV network of the Electricity Company of Ghana was carried out. The three PCCs were Tarkwa BSP, Ghana Australia Gold (GAG) Substation and Darmang Substation. Simulations and detailed analysis were carried out with the use of CYME Software (Cyme 8.0 Rev 05). The Solar PV was integrated at varying penetration levels of 9 MWp, 11 MWp, 14 MWp, 16 MWp, 18 MWp, 20 MWp and 23 MWp (representing penetration levels of 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%, respectively) of the 2020 projected light demand of Tarkwa BSP 25.15 MVA network at an average power factor of 0.903. From the study, the optimum capacity of Solar PV power that could be connected is 9 MWp at an optimum inverter power factor of 0.94 lagging, and the GAG Substation was identified as the optimal location. The stiffness ratio at the optimal location was determined as 41.9, a figure which is far greater than the minimum standard value of 5, and gives an indication of very little voltage control problems in the operation of the proposed Solar PV interconnection. The integration of the optimum 9 MW Solar PV Plant to the Tarkwa network represents an additional 12.77% capacity, decreased the technical losses by 7.76%, and increased the voltage profile by 1.97%.

The Role of Community Development in Slum Electrification Efforts in Ashaiman, Ghana

Upon its introduction into slums in Ghana as a result of its contribution to development in rural communities, community development has been adopted to provide some basic amenities such as houses and toilet facilities in such informal communities. With limited access to electricity being a major problem in Ashaiman slums, various stakeholders such as the Electricity Company of Ghana and non-governmental organizations have employed community development mechanisms to assist the inhabitants in electrification projects in Ashaiman slums. This qualitative study was conducted to investigate how community development has fared in the electrification efforts, focusing on the contributions it has made and the challenges encountered. The practice has improved the dialogue and relationship between the communities and officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana and led to the electrification of some neighbourhoods. However, slum electrification efforts have been impeded by tribal differences among the inhabitants due to the high ethnic diversity, and lack of resources. It is therefore important that leaders of the tribes work towards uniting their subjects for their participation in electrification efforts.

Impact of covered conductors on Ghana’s distribution network

Electrical power outages experienced in the vegetation areas in Ghana are as a result of bare conductors coming in contact with grounded objects such as trees and tree branches. To curb this problem, the electricity company of Ghana has introduced into its overhead distribution networks the use of CC, covered conductors. These covered conductors unlike the traditional bare wire conductors are able to temporarily withstand phase-to-phase earth voltages. XLPE, Cross-Linked Polyethylene, HDPE, High Density Polyethylene covered conductors together with ABC, Aerial Bundled Conductors are considered. Limitations associated with these covered conductors, greatly relating to cost, reliability, supply quality and safety have been discussed in this paper.

Effectiveness of a Power Factor Correction Policy in Improving the Energy Efficiency of Large-Scale Electricity Users in Ghana

Confronting an energy crisis, the government of Ghana enacted a power factor correction policy in 1995. The policy imposes a penalty on large-scale electricity users, namely, special load tariff (SLT) customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), whose power factor is below 90%. This paper investigates the impact of this policy on these firms’ power factor improvement by using panel data from 183 SLT customers from 1994 to 1997 and from 2012. To avoid potential endogeneity, this paper adopts a regression discontinuity design (RDD) with the power factor of the firms in the previous year as a running variable, with its cutoff set at the penalty threshold. The result shows that these large-scale electricity users who face the penalty because their power factor falls just short of the threshold are more likely to improve their power factor in the subsequent year, implying that the power factor correction policy implemented by Ghana’s government is effective.

Public Corporation Monopolies - Case Study of Sale of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)

This essay begins by examining the theoretical economic underpinnings of different market structures, particularly state monopolies in the form of public utilities in general. The essay examines the case of the sale of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and analyses why it is being privatised. The essay examines evidence globally and holistically with review of the case for privatisation of the Electricity Company of Ghana, making suggestions for and against privatisation. The insight gained from the essay can inform other African countries (such as Zambia) which are contemplating the sale of their public utilities. The main arguments used for maintaining state monopolies is that they create massive jobs for the people and help the poor access public services cheaply, thereby narrowing the income gap. On the other hand, the main arguments against the continued maintenance of state enterprises is that they are inefficiently run, and they account for the bulk of external public debt of poor countries. Besides, they have been held to ransom by a few politicians and their cohorts whereby these state enterprises are used as conduit pipes for siphoning state funds into the pockets of a few people in privileged political positions. Some of these state monopolies harbour political cadres, failed politicians, and ghost workers. The Washington Consensus and the Bretton Woods institutions which are some of the credible creditors to many African countries have over the years called upon many heavily- indebted African countries to reform and align their loss-making institutions, hence the sale of many of the public institutions such as the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG). To many an unlettered African, the sale of public utilities is seen as an act of abomination, an unpatriotic act, and a politically-motivated move. It is the objective of this essay to debunk these faulty theses or premises and lay bare the facts. Key words : public utility, state-owned enterprise, public corporation, energy, electricity, privatisation, denationalisation, rationalisation, efficiency, state monopoly. ECG, market structures, divestiture

An Examination of Project Risk Identification and Prevention Techniques in Ensuring Project Success; A Case Study of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)

An Examination of Project Risk Identification and Prevention Techniques in Ensuring Project Success; A Case Study of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)

Smart Energy Monitors Technology for Energy Conservation at Ashongman in Accra

This study investigates the use of Smart Energy Monitors (SEMs) technology which has been introduced to help electricity consumers conserve energy and to ensure energy efficiency among residents in Ashongman, a suburb of Accra. Ghana as a developing country has gone through an energy crisis recently. There has been a shortfall of electricity generation capacity where demand has exceeded supply, which resulted in load shedding management. This study seeks to find out the energy conservation habits among Ghanaian residents at Ashongman and also to investigate the use of SEMs for energy conservation. The findings of the study showed 16% of respondents were aware of the benefits of SEMs in electricity conservation whilst 84% did not know. 72.7% of the respondents who were aware of SMEs have used it whilst 27.3% of respondents who aware of SEMs have not used it for energy conservation purposes. The findings also further indicated the challenges respondents face in conserving energy in their homes and the measures that need to be put in place to ensure energy efficiency. On the basis of the findings, it is recommended for the Energy Commission and Electricity Company of Ghana that, there should be effective policy to educate consumers on adapting SEMs technology for energy conservation.

Evaluating the Challenges Facing Private Vendors in Revenue Collection of the Electricity Company of Ghana in Koforidua, Ghana

The study examined the challenges facing private vendors contracted by Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the sale of power in the New Juaben Municipality. The study employed the descriptive methods by using the qualitative methods of collecting and analyzing data from both primary and secondary sources of data. Questionnaire was the main instrument for collecting primary data. Simple random sampling method was use to select the sample size for the study. Two third of the total population was used to calculate the sample size of the study. Data collected was analyzed using frequency tables. Major findings of the study were the main monitoring practices in regulating private vendors are keeping proper records of vending activities, daily collection of proceeds of vendors and submission of monthly financial reports while minor monitoring practices including unannounced inspections and weekly monitoring of vending activities. It is recommended that Management of ECG should place premium on all monitoring activities irrespective of whether it is minor or major in order to ensure efficiency in monitoring private vendors.

An Assessment of the Impact of Employee Motivation on Organisational Performance and Productivity in State-Owned Enterprises: A Case of ECG Legon District

The success or failure of any business as a matter of fact depends largely on its employees;thus human resources are very essential to the organisation as they are the key stakeholders prosperity, productivity and performance. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of employee motivation on organisational performance and productivity at Electricity Company of Ghana, Legon District. The research work adopted a mixed approach of research design and the case study method to provide answers to research questions formulated. A probability design with the stratified sampling technique was employed to select and sample the opinions of 80 workers of ECG, Legon District on the issue. Data obtained from the field survey was later analysed using SPSS. The research made extensive use of both primary and secondary data. Primary data was obtained by administering a well-structured questionnaire to respondents and interviews were conducted with the lower level employees as categorized by the researcher. The study revealed that there is a relationship between motivation and performance and came to a conclusion that management should put in great efforts to motivate members of staff to enhance their performance. The researcher recommends that management should consider the issue of employee motivation very important to make ECG maintain its position as the only producer of Electricity in Ghana.

Management of Accounts Receivables in Utility Companies: A focus on Electricity Company of Ghana (E.C.G.)

Almost all standard textbooks on Accounting: Managerial and Financial discuss accounts receivable in varying degrees of depth and scope emphasis skewed towards the particular discipline. Financial accounting discusses accounts receivable as information for external users to use to interpret financial statements (Libby; et aI (2001) managerial accounting discusses accounts receivable as a cost to management (Hilton, 2002). Financial management, however, discusses accounts receivables as a current asset requiring short-term investment and financing strategies (Brealy; Myers (2000).This study's objective was to determine the effectiveness of the management of accounts receivable by Electricity Company of Ghana. The study analyzed secondary data from the audited annual reports of the company for a period of four years from 2007 to 2011; the company's billing system, operational reports and primary data from both structured and unstructured questionnaire. The results show that Electricity Company of Ghana has an average accounts receivable days' sales outstanding of 158 days over the study period and unrealistic provision for bad debt of about 5%. The study's conclusions indicate that the company is not very effective in its accounts receivable management. The study, therefore, recommends that the company's business processes should be reviewed, finalised accounts with balances over 150 days be declared bad debts and managed separately from the net realizable accounts receivable.

Interplay of personal characteristics antecedents and organisational antecedents in driving employee commitment

The paper investigates how personal characteristics antecedents and organisational antecedents integrate to determine employee commitment (EC) in the Electricity Company of Ghana. By so doing, we depart from the predominant approaches to the study of EC which focus on a single set of antecedents, and to establish the need for combining the two. A survey study, we used questionnaire to collect primary data from 120 directors, managers and employees of the company. Data were presented in tabular format using frequencies and percentages, and cross-analysed the two sets of antecedents to ascertain their extent of integration in driving EC. We found that integrating both sets of antecedents reveals the critical role of employees' personal characteristics in influencing the organisational antecedents to cause commitment, and a table is constructed to demonstrate this. We recommend application of both sets of antecedents, simultaneously, to better explain how and why employees are committed to organisations.