Accra, Nov. 12, GNA - Energy Foundation, an advisory body, on Wednesday said it was considering plans to extend its mandate to the provision of energy management services to industrial and commercial consumers.
The Foundation, which currently provides only information and advisory services, said the move had become necessary because of the marked effect that price adjustments on fuel and electricity had on the economy.
Mr Andrew Quayson, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Foundation, said the current challenges facing the energy sector called for the development of pro-active strategies to guarantee reliable supply of energy in the future.
He was speaking at the fifth Annual General Meeting of the Foundation in Accra.
It is in this connection that the Foundation was working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the United States to secure financing for a nationwide compact fluorescent lamp retrofit project to cut down on the consumption of energy.
The Foundation, has also acquired energy-monitoring equipment from Germany to meet the increased demand for power monitoring and analysis from industry and commercial enterprises.
This equipment, he said, had also assisted in allaying the fears of consumers, who felt they were paying more for the same level of consumption under the pre-paid meter system than they would have paid under the credit metering system.
Mr Quayson said as part of its mandate to promote commercialization of renewable energy resources, the Foundation had updated information on the well-known potential mini-hydro power generation sites in the country.
He said conclusions from the survey showed that it would be economically feasible to develop mini-hydro schemes if appropriate tie-in tariffs and modalities for grid interconnection is developed and implemented.
Besides, there was little economic justification for the development of low-head mini-hydro plants with the sole aim of providing electricity in the country. Such plants could however, be developed as integrated facilities for irrigation, water supply and power generation. Mr Quayson said the Energy Foundation would liase with other bodies in the country to ensure efficient use of energy.
