Solar energy is gaining momentum in the African continent wherein the largest solar power plant is currently being built in Ghana. Upon completion, the Nzema solar park will have about 630,000 photovoltaic panels, making it the sixth largest in the world.
The 155 megawatt solar facility, which will be operational by 2015, is part of Ghana’s plan to boost its renewable energy. The African country aims to produce 10 percent of its energy needs from sustainable sources by 2020.
The plant is expected to provide much of the needed generating capacity for economic development of the west African country. It will be connected to the 161 kV West African Power Pool power transmission line, which runs alongside the site, linking Ghana to Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
According to experts, Ghana is one of the fastest growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa, with demand for power growing at 10-15 percent a year.
The expansion of solar power in Ghana will also benefit neighboring countries. Ghana’s current energy production capacity is 2,100MW and seeks to achieve an electricity generation capacity goal of 5,000MW by 2016.
