Mr. George Aboagre Mathiesea, a Ghanaian bioengineer working in Denmark for Dansk Biogas, has come back to Ghana to promote a seemingly miraculous solution to the national energy shortage: Biogas.
Biogas is an environmentally friendly alternative to the burning of oil and coal. First developed in Denmark, there are already six plants in existance, providing adequate energy to over 22 farms. A biogas plant is unique because it uses animal manure together with small amounts of organic waste, resulting in the production of 2 - 4 times more biogas compared to traditional plants and concepts. The produced biogas is used in a CHP unit to produce "green" electricity and heat. The Smedemester biogas plant in Denmark is profitable and has several environmental benefits such as reduction in the emissions of greenhouse gases, reduction of the smell inconvenience from animal manure, reduction in water and air pollution.
Ghana is an ideal location for such a plant because these plants run particularly well on palm oil waste, marine production waste, and brewery wastes, on top of household wastes and animal waste - all abundant here in Ghana.
Dansk Biogas is currently owned partially by Gam Holding and Schouw, two Danish industries. Mr Aboagre Mathiesea is looking to the Ghanaian government and private investors to look into the possibility of funding a plant. One plant, for one million dollars, will provide energy for over 6,000 houses. The Danish Ministry of Industries has shown interest in possible investments, as have a few other private industries in Ghana.
Another Ghanaian company, the Shaw-Taylor Company is already advanced in its plans to introduce the technology into Ghana to serve the country's three largest cities, Accra, Sekondi-Takoradi and Kumasi.
