Africa’s Largest Floating Solar of 250 MW In Ghana Starts First Section

A 5 MW section has been connected to the grid at a floating solar plant on the reservoir of the Bui hydroelectric dam in Ghana. With this, the plant makes a small step towards its eventual goal for a 250 MW plant

Linked to the transmission system of the 404 MW Bui hydropower dam, the Bui Power Authority (BPA) which operates the dam, is also setting up the floating solar plant. When done, the plant could potentially be the largest floating solar plant in Africa. More importantly, in a continent where mini-grids have been the go-to solution for solar-powered energy solutions, the plant could also be one of the notable utility-scale success stories. Construction is being done in parcels of 50 MW each.     

Situated on the Black Volta River, the reservoir authority hopes that the floating solar plant can supplement power supplies especially well in the summer months or during periods of drought. Ghana is targeting a 10 percent contribution from renewables in its energy mix by 2030. 

The target is for  2.5 GW of renewable energy generation capacity – including hydroelectric at this stage– by 2030.

As one of the more prosperous countries in Africa, Ghana has been pushing ahead with its plans, with multiple mini-grids and solar-powered desalination plants performing well there. Unlike the rest of Africa, where almost 50 percent of the population still lacks direct access to electricity, Ghana has almost 85 percent of its population covered.