Page 13 - AfrElec Week 25 2022

AfrElec ACCESS TO POWER AfrElec

Ghana hits 83.5% electricity

coverage in 2021 – AfDB report

GHANA GHANA’S electricity access increased to 83.5% and produced 15,000GWh. That includes a jump
in 2021, up from 56.5% in 2012, with coverage in installed renewable capacity from 1.2GW to
in urban areas at about 94% of the population 1.7GW, of which hydropower accounted for
and for rural areas at about 70%, about twice and 99%.
three times the average among African Devel- The share of renewables in the energy mix
opment Bank (AfDB) countries, respectively, declined, however, with more kilograms of CO2
JoyNews reports. emitted per dollar of Gross Domestic Product
According to AfDB, the share of the popula- (GDP) in 2021 than in 2012.
tion with access to clean cooking solutions also An upsurge in capacity and skills, which
rose significantly, reaching 24.9% last year up resulted from the rise of independent power pro-
from 16.4% in 2012, consolidating Ghana’s posi- ducers’ generation of electricity, helped Ghana
tion among the top 10 countries in Africa with resolve the energy crisis that hit the country
the highest rate of access to electricity. between 2021 and 2016 due to erratic rainfalls
The West African state almost doubled its that crippled hydroelectricity production in the
total installed capacity from 2.9GW to 5.1GW Lake Volta region, according to JoyNews.™

Earth and Wire, Ambri to built

300MW of storage in SA

SOUTH AFRICA AMBRI, a US-based long-duration energy stor- renewable resources and reducing the need to
age provider, on June 23 announced that Earth build traditional power plants. As state power
& Wire, South Africa’s independent renewable utility Eskom – plagued by chronic load-shed-
energy trader, has placed an order for its Liquid ding – begins to decommission its coal-gener-
Metal battery system – Ambri’s largest commer- ation fleet, South Africa is turning to renewable
cial deployment to date. energy resources that can consistently supply the
The system will serve a 300MW, 1,200MWh national grid.
hybrid wind- and solar-powered generation site According to Ambri, its long-duration safe
in the Eastern Cape. It is the largest energy stor- and reliable energy storage system is built for
age facility to be installed in South Africa, said daily cycling and has a lifespan of about 20 years
the company. Ambri plans to start shipping bat- with minimal fade. By deploying Ambri’s tech-
teries for this project in 2024, with installation nology, Earth & Wire will be able to help manage
completed in 2026. fluctuations in supply and demand, providing
Adam Briggs, chief commercial officer at consistent and responsive electrical power to
Ambri, said that both companies shared a mis- South African customers.
sion of accelerating the decarbonization of grids “We’ve been looking for the right partner to
and enabling consumers to meet their energy meet the challenges of storing the excess energy
needs from renewable resources. we generate and providing our customers with a
“As South Africa works to address its cur- full-spectrum, 24-hour source of electricity,” said
rent energy challenges, this partnership – and Thomas Garner, business development execu-
our technology more broadly – will help Earth tive at Earth & Wire.
& Wire and other renewable energy providers “Ambri’s technology is an ideal answer to
solve long-standing operational challenges and meet this challenge, and we look forward to uti-
stabilize their nation’s energy grids,” said Briggs. lizing their battery system to provide affordable,
Ambri’s Liquid Metal battery technol- reliable clean energy to all Southern Africans,
ogy aims at increasing the contribution from from all walks of life,” he added.™

Week 25 23•June•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P13