26 public institutions to benefit from automatic capacitor banks

Aburi (E/R), Sept. 18, GNA - The Energy Commission (EC) is to install Automatic Capacitor Banks (ACB) in 26 selected public institutions across the country.

The ACB is a device which ensures that only the required amount of electricity needed to run motors and other high energy consuming machines is loaded.

Mr Kofi Agyarko, Head of Energy Efficiency and Climate Change at EC, told the Ghana News Agency at Aburi in the Eastern Region that that in the absence of an ACB, an inefficiency motor and other machines would draw high electricity but use only a fraction for the actual work it was required to do.

He said to reduce government expenditure; the Commission collaborated with the Ministry of Energy to install the ACB in some selected public institutions including the Ministry of Defence, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, office of the President, Food and Drugs Board and Parliament House.

"Measurement taken after the installation revealed that the maximum demand of the institutions has reduced from 11,743 KVA to 9,889 KVA, recording an energy savings of 1,854 KVA," he added.

Mr Agyarko noted that the Commission is saving the country GH¢ 39,145 a month and GH¢ 469, 740 per annum, through the installation of the ACB in these institutions.

He said the country stands tall when it comes to the standards of labelling electrical appliances in West Africa.

He said the Commission is developing a legislative framework to control the importation of over aged vehicles in the country since it has environmental implications.

"The importation and usage of used refrigerators will end on 31 December, 2012."

Dr Alfred Ofosu Ahenkorah, Executive Secretary of the Commission, said his outfit has developed a three-pronged policy framework to guide the development and deployment of bio energy in the country.

The policy consist of a bio-fuel to promote the production of bio-fuel, a biomass waste to energy policy to harness the country's biomass wastes for electricity generation and a wood-fuel policy to ensure sustainable exploitation of wood resources for wood-fuel.

He said as part of the Commissions mandate the body was able to develop a strategic National Energy Plan for the country up to 2020.