Phase out overaged electrical appliances - GSA to government

The Ghana Science Associa­tion is calling on the government to be firmed in phasing out over­aged (10 years and over) energy inefficient electrical appliances to promote energy use efficiency in the country.

The association further tasked the government to facili­tate the creation of industries for the local manufacturing of clean energy components as well as the private sector in order to invest in development and commer­cialisation of energy efficient technologies and solutions.

These were contained in a 14-point recommendation in a communique issued at the end of the 19th biennial workshop of the Ghana Science Association (GSA) held at the Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sus­tainability (RCEES), University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani, Bono Region.

The GSA is a national mul­tidisciplinary group of Scien­tists, Technologists, Engineers, Mathematicians, and Industrialists that seeks to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country through scientific and technological research formu­lation and implementation of national policy in science, technol­ogy and innovation.

The workshop was held on the theme: ‘Innovative, Affordable and Sustainable Energy Supply in Ghana for the 4th Industrial Revolution’ and brought together stakeholders, scientists, and policy makers to interact and deliberate on the state of Ghana’s energy transition preparedness.

Furthermore, it also served as platform on which participants shared cutting-edge knowledge and showcased successful projects and best practices in energy tran­sitions globally.

It emphasised the need for the country to foster innovative and affordable approaches to energy transition as these are essential for ensuring equitable energy supply.

The GSA observed that the country needed its own petro­chemical industry in order to secure its energy transition to avoid stranded assets, adding that synergy between academia and in­dustry was necessary in advancing homegrown technologies consid­ered to be crucial for achieving greater partnerships in energy transitions.

Moreover, it stressed the need for the Ministry of Energy and Energy Commission to promote and encourage the usage of cost-effective energy appliances where conscious effort is to scale-up renewable energy adoption by institutions and organisations across the country were of essence.

The state should strengthen policy and regulatory framework relating to energy transition, security and affordability, allocate funds for research into clean and affordable energy to support re­search institutes and universities in the field, and inclusion energy transition curricula in schools were among the recommenda­tions reached at the workshop.