Browsing by Author "Quansah, David Ato"

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    Comparative study of electricity storage batteries for Solar Photovoltaic home systems
    (2008-08-05) Quansah, David Ato
    The installed capacity of solar PV systems in Ghana was about 1MWp in the year 2003. This capacity is expected to increase significantly as the Strategic National Energy Plan (SNEP) seeks to enhance the role of stand-alone solar photovoltaic systems for off-grid rural communities that could not be electrified economically through grid extension. For such systems, it is now widely acknowledged that the high replacement cost and environmental impacts of chemical storage batteries constitute the key challenges to deployment and sustainability particularly in poor rural settings. On a life cycle basis, the storage batteries normally contribute about 40-45% of system cost. This thesis undertakes a comparative assessment of the technical, economic and environmental characteristics of the currently available electricity storage batteries that could be utilized in stand-alone solar PV systems. The batteries considered are Lead Acid, Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium-Ion. The technical assessment was based on cycle-life, discharge and charging characteristics and charge retention. Life-cycle cost was used as the economic performance indicator, while human safety risks and ecological impacts formed the basis of the environmental assessment. The cost and other data for the batteries were obtained from literature (print and online) and survey of the retail market in Ghana. The life cycle cost of electricity storage based on online retail pricing data and 12% discount rate ranged from an average of US$0.03 cents for lead acid to US$0.15 cents /Wh for Lithium-Ion batteries. Price data obtained from local suppliers yielded storage costs of 0.17- 0.42GHp/Wh for deep-cycle solar batteries and 0.93-1.0GHp/Wh for shallow-cycle automotive batteries on a life cycle cost basis.
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    Strategizing towards sustainable energy planning: Modeling the mix of future generation technologies for 2050 in Benin
    (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, 2024-01-11) Akpahou, Romain; Odoi-Yorke, Flavio; Mensah, Lena Dzifa; Quansah, David Ato; Kemausuor, Francis
    The Benin energy sector faces serious challenges, including an unfavorable energy mix with regular power shortages, erratic power outages, reliance on electricity imports, and dependence on traditional cooking stoves. This study has investigated strategies critical for Benin to employ to achieve 24.6 %, 44 %, and 100 % renewable energy (RE) integration targets in the final electricity mix in 2025, 2030, and 2050, respectively. This study used the EnergyPLAN model to develop different energy scenarios suitable for Benin to achieve its proposed RE penetration target. A combination of natural gas (NG) with solar photovoltaic (PV), wind energy, hydropower, and concentrated solar power (CSP) is used to develop three scenarios for RE integration namely the government targets scenario, 2 % RE per year scenario and 50 % RE in 2050 scenario. The results show that the government targets scenario is too ambitious because of the current trend and pace of developing the energy sector. Moreover, a combination of 563 MW of NG, 125 MW of PV, 200 MW of wind, 600 MW of hydropower, and 60 MW of CSP would achieve 50 % RE by 2050 under the 50 % RE scenario. This scenario would decrease CO2 emissions by 50 % with no CEEP generation. Furthermore, the total electricity generation from MSW in Benin is estimated to be 0.232, 0.3215, and 1.16 TWh/yr in 2025, 2030, and 2050, respectively. The study’s findings could help decision-makers and stakeholders make informed decisions to promote the integration of RE resources in the Benin Republic.