Global Center on Adaptation to Strengthen Adaptation and Resilience of Renewable Energy Investments in Ghana
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otterdam, the Netherlands, 23 February 2022 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today announced it will contribute €250,000 from its Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) to support a detailed climate risk assessment and the integration of adaptation measures during the early stage design and implementation of renewable energy mini grids and net metering systems in Ghana. The investment is part of GCA’s ongoing work to enhance the climate resilience of Ghana’s infrastructure systems which are found to be vulnerable to climate change and require in-depth climate risk assessments to determine the current and projected climate risks.
The project, overseen by the African Development Bank, involves the development of 35 mini grids (standalone solar photovoltaic systems) to be placed in schools, healthcare centers and community energy services centers in the Volta Lake region. Up to 12,000 units of roof-mounted net-metered solar photovoltaic systems will also be deployed in public institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises and selected households. The majority of communities within the Volta Region are projected to be exposed to a high likelihood of flooding and landslides.
The Ghana Mini Grid and Solar Photovoltaic Net Metering system is expected to have an annual electricity output of renewable energy estimated at 111,361MWh, corresponding to an installed capacity of 67.5MW. The project will mitigate greenhouse emissions of 0.7795 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year and create up to 2,865 jobs during construction, of which 30% will target women and youth.
The project also leveraged $28.49 million from the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program at the Climate Investment Fund, and $13.30 million from Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
Notes to Editors
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization which works as a solutions broker to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Founded in 2018, GCA is hosted by the Netherlands, working from its headquarters in Rotterdam with a knowledge and research hub based in Groningen. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Dhaka, Bangladesh and Beijing, China. Through this evolving network of offices and global and regional GCA teams, the organization engages in high-level policy activities, new research contributions, communications, and technical assistance to governments and the private sector.