Ghana has developed a draft Electric-Vehicle Policy to guide the development and upscale of electric vehicles in the country to decarbonise the transport sector. The development, according to a story carried by the Ghanaian Times on July 17, 2023, would enable Ghana to achieve net-zero Carbon Dioxide (Co2) emissions by 2070.
The story, which was sourced to the Deputy Minister for Energy, Herbert Krapah, quoted him as saying, through a statement read on his behalf at a forum in Kumasi, that currently Ghana’s installed capacity of 5,400 MW (Mega Watts) was significantly more than the current peak demand of about 3,700MW.
“At this current rate, Ghana will need to create demand within the system to take the excess supply of electricity to power electric vehicles,” he said, adding that the governments of some of the biggest automotive markets around the world had taken bold steps to make electric vehicles the only option.
“They are determined to ban the sale of gas and diesel-powered vehicles completely by 2040. This includes China, the largest automotive market in the world, the United Kingdom and other European countries,” he reportedly said.
In a similar forum held, this time in Accra, the same Ghanaian Times reported yesterday that the over 17,660 electric vehicles were imported into the country between 2017 and 2021. The report is again being attributed to Herbert Krapah.
Looking at the devastating effect fossil fuel is having on the global environment it is only those who do not care about the future of their countries that would oppose the use of electronic cars. Though fuels sold in this country are considered the best in the West African sub-region, most of our vehicles continue to emit dark plumes of smoke from their exhaust pipes, which is causing damage to the environment.
This, coupled with the fact that crude oil is one of the non-renewable natural resources, makes it sensible for us to consider using electric vehicles in the country. As the Deputy Minister noted, the developed nations are fast moving away from vehicles powered by fossil fuel because of the destruction it is causing the environment.
The Chronicle, therefore, fully supports the idea of introducing electric vehicles into the country. The only problem we have is electricity. Though Mr. Krapah is assuring the nation that we have power in excess of 1,700 megawatts, that is not a guarantee to fully roll out the usage of electric vehicles in the country.
As we put this piece together, Akosombo, Kpong and Bui hydro dams are spilling excess water to ensure their safety. This means these dams are currently operating at full capacities, yet the lights have been going off and coming on in various parts of the country. One will, therefore, wonder what will happen in the energy sector if all the vehicles are to be powered by electricity.
As we noted earlier, the idea is good, but the challenges far outweigh the advantages. The Chronicle, therefore, advises Mr Krapah and his Energy ministry to factor the investment in the sector into the equation, before advocating the roll-out of electric vehicles in the country.
Today, we are happy that we have excess power of 1,700 megawatts, but have we sat down to calculate how much power we are going to consume if we start powering all our cars with electricity? Until this is done, we should forget about the full rollout of electric vehicles because it will not simply work.
