Accra, July 12, GNA - A bunch of candles to lighten up homes is draining the Ghanaian more of his money than the use of solar panels in the country, Professor Yaw Owusu, a Ghanaian energy expert based in the US said on Thursday.

He said Ghana's energy crisis could be over with a commitment on the part of government, corporate bodies and individuals to switch to solar system because solar energy is far less expensive than what people have been made to believe.

Briefing the media in Accra, Prof. Owusu a lecturer in the Florida State University said; "let us not sell to ourselves that solar energy is expensive because economies of scale make things cheaper."

He called on government to critically assess the issue and redirect its subsidies to the use of solar systems for the ordinary Ghanaian because once installed, the operational cost was almost zero. Professor Owusu said if every Ghanaian would include in their expenses solar equipment where with the use of an inverter power could be switched from solar to the national grid, a lot more money could be saved for other developments.

"Once you set your solar panels, 20 to 30 years to come, you pay nothing because the source of energy which is the sun is free," he said. Prof. Owusu however, noted that it was important to have a hybrid of solar and wind energy. This, he explained that, in the day time the energy from the sun and wind could be tapped for use in the night. He said the potential for Africa is marvellous since the continent has the greatest sunshine in the whole wide world.

"We are blessed with the Sahara Desert which when the energy in the sun is well tapped will serve the entire continent of Africa," Prof. Owusu said. 12 July 07