Deployment Of Alternate Sources Of Energy In Ghana

Developing nations generally do not have the industrial infrastructure that expel large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as a result of manufacturing processes, while this can be said of developed nations. Automobiles also contribute to this effect, and here too, developing nations do not have nearly as many cars on the road as developed nations do. For similar reasons, developing nations do not contribute in a major way to the greenhouse effect and global warming, which are world-wide phenomena that impact all continents and nations. The fact that global warming impacts the whole world makes it imperative that all nations contribute to the resolution of the problems it poses. In considering the positions that some African nations face and the global problem of emissions into the atmosphere, it is essential to take into account some recent developments. In focusing on Ghana, there is a recent discovery of oil off the coast of Ghana, and already the nation is anticipating the wealth and prosperity this will bring to Ghana. For a poor and developing nation, the attraction of the wealth can be characterized as strong. Even so, it is essential that the people and government of Ghana temper their excitement of the anticipated prosperity with the sobering thought of the negative impact burning of fossil fuels and resultant emissions have on the atmosphere. This strongly points to the need of alternate sources of energy that support the green revolution. The nation Ghana is well within the Tropic of Cancer, 5 o to 12 o north of the equator. This places the nation where its people can take full advantage of solar energy by use of solar technologies. While other universities such as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) are engaged in such activities, this paper discusses the efforts being made by the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in supporting the government’s effort to employ solar energy as a sustainable alternate source of energy.