The Volta River Authority (VRA) has tabled plans to develop the nation’s main hydropower plant into a power battery reserve.
The Authority has been generating power from what remains the world’s largest manmade lake, but a new direction in renewable energy is giving way to the re-imagination of Ghana’s energy infrastructure.
Acting Chief Executive Officer, Ing. Edward Ekow Obeng-Kenzo, told Parliament’s Energy Committee during a briefing, that the project would reposition the dam to meet the nation’s demand for renewable energy far into the future.
According to the concept, power generation at the dam would be hybridised.
Ing. Obeng-Kenzo said the system would allow a cost effective use of renewable energy, which he further stated would enhance the affordability of power in the country and beyond.
He spoke also of how the concept would help safeguard the lifespan of the hydro infrastructure amidst rising power demand.
"We don't want to deplete the hydro,” he said while illustrating how the system would run solar during the day time and switch to hydro during the night.
This should save money on running batteries as their operation during the day time remains expensive.
“So as we are transitioning to renewables, and because renewables are interruptible power, when you run the renewables during the daytime, in the evenings, they are off. So what we want to use at Akosombo is as a battery, because when you use a normal battery for the renewables, the cost goes very, very high.
“So, during the daytime when the solars are running, we'll preserve the water in Akosombo and in the evening we'll bring Akosombo on board. So it acts as a battery and saves the country. And when we're able to do that once, we can do it for the whole West Africa, because we have a huge water resource. So at least we always have a maximum amount of water to support generation and also to levelize the price, as I said last time. So it's a study we are carrying out.”
The acting Chief Executive reassured the Committee of the safety of the two major dam infrastructures it manages-the Kpong and Akosombo Dams, detailing various works undertaken in recent times to enhance their lifespans.
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