Abstract:
In August 1989, the National Energy Board (now the Ministry of Energy
and Mines), initiated the project, "Monitoring and Evaluating the Performance
of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Ghana. " The main objective of this project
was to identify the Photovoltaic systems in Ghana, provide an update of
information about the various applications, with a view to providing information
guides for both existing and potential users.
To date, the project has succeeded in identifying the various applications
of PV systems in the country. In a document, "Current Status of Solar
Photovoltaic Applications in Ghana" (January, 1993) the project coordinator has
succeeded in compiling details about the utilization of PV systems in Ghana.
What is lacking however, is an assessment of the social consequences for PV
utilization. The almost exclusive pre-occupation with the technical details of
the systems' performance does not provide a total picture for future policy
decisions about PV systems in Ghana. It is this gap that this study seeks to
address.
