VRA to roll-out energy conservation campaign

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• RAS KOBBY 10 years ago

  THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WAIVE TAXES ON SOLAR PRODUCTS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS AFFORD SOLAR.THE SUNSHINES ALMOST DAILY IN GHANA WHY DONT WE MAKE USE OF IT???
  SOLAR PRODUCTS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE TO AFFORD.......LETS REDUCE OR WAIVE TAX ...
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  THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WAIVE TAXES ON SOLAR PRODUCTS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS AFFORD SOLAR.THE SUNSHINES ALMOST DAILY IN GHANA WHY DONT WE MAKE USE OF IT???
  SOLAR PRODUCTS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE TO AFFORD.......LETS REDUCE OR WAIVE TAXES ON THEM AND MAKE THEM AFFORDABLE FOR THE MIDDLE INCOME AT LEAST.

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• YAKUBU 10 years ago

  "VRA estimates that for a country growing rapidly at a rate of about 10 percent per year and using under 2,000 megawatts of electricity, Ghana ought to be bringing on-stream 200 megawatts of new capacity every year.
  
  This ...
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  "VRA estimates that for a country growing rapidly at a rate of about 10 percent per year and using under 2,000 megawatts of electricity, Ghana ought to be bringing on-stream 200 megawatts of new capacity every year.
  
  This additional capacity will require US$200million of investment; however, government is not able to keep up with that kind of investment."
  
  It's all well and good because this is an ongoing process with the introduction of energy saving bulbs and lamps, which if rigorously pushed should make an impact. However, with the increase in taxes on such items, it becomes counterproductive.
  The main issue however, is that, the report stated that, 200MW of new capacity would be required every year with this capacity requiring $200millions dollars of investment. The question therefore becomes judging from the very nature of electric power generation capacity and it's relevance to the overall state of our economy, did the looting of over $4billion dollars in 2012 alone, make prudent financial and economic sense looking at the investment required to add to the needed capacity? Ghana could have added about 2000MW alone using about half of the over $4billion dollars appropriated and looted from the national kitty in the last 3 months of 2012, leaving some more for other investments in other critical infrastructure, such as feeder roads to our bread basket regions, thereby spurring agricultural productivity together with other incentives, due to the access so created by opening up the transport system. One is therefore left to wonder if the NDC gov't is really serious in prioritizing their objectives in dealing with the challenges which threatens the economic, financial, infrastructural and social fabric of the society in meeting the upward mobility objectives of a supposed growing economy. Clearly, it stands to reason that, there's a serious disconnect about the John Mahama led NDC gov't's developmental goals in lifting up the masses from the quagmire of poverty and stagnation after a lot of effort had been expended by the previous gov't ending 2008, in addressing a lot of these challenges facing the masses with respect to health, transport, energy generation, agriculture, etc,etc.
  The NDC gov't from all indications is either self-serving, clueless, visionless and corrupt or incompetent or all of the above.
  The recent depreciation of the cedi goes to further cement the fact that, indeed, the NDC gov't is palpably unfit for governance and the attempt to pin the chaotic situation of the wage bill, election petition, high rise buildings, African witchery and black magic, the US economy, and other country's economic trends, shows a gov't team that has demonstrated a stupendous lack of ability to deal with the issues in the short term and cannot be credited with having the capacity to deal with the challenges long term.
  The VRA in rolling out it's conservation campaign could look at other sources of energy generation such as wind, solar, biomass etc, etc. In addition to these, inefficiencies in the system from generation losses could be looked at, replacement of obsolete equipment and the use of energy saving equipment, should help in conservation efforts over the long term.
  However, come 2016, the changes would have to be made to create a paradigm shift in the direction the country is currently headed by voting the NDC gov't out. The masses should embrace the concept of accountability and punish the political class when they fail to deliver.

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• Apio 10 years ago

  Yakubu,
  
  I think you need to look at this from a non-partisan point of view. Energy waste is a major issue in Ghana and requires immediate attention. This issue dates back from Limanns time and every political party some ...
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  Yakubu,
  
  I think you need to look at this from a non-partisan point of view. Energy waste is a major issue in Ghana and requires immediate attention. This issue dates back from Limanns time and every political party some how did little to address this issue....

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• Kweku Boateng Jnr. 10 years ago

  All serious governments in the world today are working to have more solar, wind, and other renewable energy. Ghana is an exception.Why? Those who import solar panels are facing heavy taxes at the Ports, am told it has gone u ...
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  All serious governments in the world today are working to have more solar, wind, and other renewable energy. Ghana is an exception.Why? Those who import solar panels are facing heavy taxes at the Ports, am told it has gone up to 20 per cent the last six months.
  Government needs to relax the tax on solar pen eels, batteries an look inward in getting NKUST and the Polytechs to assemble or manufacture these items.
  Yakubu, thank you for your critical comments the last one month. The truth is neither NPP nor NDC has any serious policy on renewable energy. We have 15 sites for hydro dams, there is no systematic policy to develop these sites. Solar, solar and solar would help domestic electricity supply. Can the Chinese or Germans help us?

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