PREVENTING ANOTHER BLACKOUT

THERE has been some uneasiness among consumers of electricity for some time now, following the steady drop in the water level of the Akosombo Dam.
Consumers heaved a sigh of relief in September last year when the Volta River Authority (VRA) ended almost one year of load-shedding. There was a hot debate at the time over the sustainability of power supply from the Akosombo Dam, particularly when it fell below 235 feet.
The load-shedding period was a difficult moment for both domestic and industrial consumers. Housewives could not preserve food items for the household, while industrial concerns had to cut down their orders. In more painful circumstances, some workers were retrenched and budgetary projections greatly affected.
For some time now, consumers have been wondering what lies ahead of them, following the steady drop in the water level and rising cost of crude oil on the world market.
The assurance by the VRA that there would be no load-shedding this year in spite of the fall in the water level must, therefore, be refreshing.
The acting Director of Corporate Services, Ms Abla Fiadjoe, explained that the fall in the water level was consistent with the depletion season and that the water level was expected to rise with the inflow season in July.
Last year’s load-shedding exercise brought in its wake the diversification of the power supply source in Ghana. The VRA and mining companies provided emergency power plants to augment the national grid while some independent power producers decided to come on board.
It is, however, important to point out that so long as the country continues to rely on hydro as its main source of power generation, there are likely to be challenges until many other sources of power such as thermal, solar and wind power are tapped.
It is essential for the government to create the necessary environment to facilitate the shift from our over-dependence on hydro to a ratio that would focus on renewable energy.
The Daily Graphic is aware that thermal energy is more expensive to produce in view of the rising cost of crude oil.
But whatever our present circumstances are, it would be helpful for the government to explore the possibility of using solar energy to power many of the services for which alternatives are cost-effective.
One cannot understand why our street and traffic lights cannot rely on solar energy. The advantage here is that instead of the intermittent disruption of power at traffic intersections because of non-availability of power, the traffic lights would be in operation throughout the day because of the ready source of sunlight, thereby facilitating the free flow of traffic.
The opportunity exists for more investment in the power sector. The government should provide the incentives for business concerns to invest in power generation, using renewable energy sources such as waste, biomass, solar power and wind.
The Daily Graphic believes that power is a major prerequisite for business expansion and growth. Without power, jobs cannot be created to improve the incomes of people and reduce poverty.
Consumers also have a responsibility to use power judiciously and pay their bills regularly for the system to be maintained.
Never again should the country be caught up in the quagmire of total darkness as a result of our inability to generate adequate power and our failure to renew existing infrastructure.