Wind Energy to Be Introduced

The Energy Commission has successfully completed a research on wind speed in the country to generate wind energy to serve people mostly in the rural areas.

"As far as environmental friendliness is concerned in energy generation, wind energy is the best alternative to hydro-electricity and thermal generation".

Mr. Victor Owusu, Communication Co-ordinator of Energy Commission said this in a day's seminar organised by the commission to a cross-section of people from the Nadowli and Jirapa/Lambussie districts at Nadowli on Tuesday.

He said, it is also the cheapest means of generating power as it is not very expensive to trap the wind, especially in the coastal areas of the country.

On the use of solar energy, he said although Ghana has sunny days, the panels for power generation are rather expensive for the rural areas.

The communication co-ordinator said although about 67 per cent of people in the country depend on fuel wood, no serious steps are taken to re-plant the depleted trees, thereby endangering the survival of vegetation for the future. Mr Owusu said the government is exploring other avenues of energy because of the erratic rainfall pattern of the country, which is not reliable for hydro-electricity and the high cost of light crude-oil for thermal plants.

Other alternatives such as biogas are being pursued to improve on energy generation in the country.