The Head of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department at the University of Mines and Technology, Christian Kwaku Amuzuvi, has called on the government to remove all taxes on solar panels and related accessories to make renewable energy systems more affordable and accelerate Ghana’s transition to clean energy.
Speaking at the 13th Professorial Inaugural Lecture at UMaT in Tarkwa, Prof. Amuzuvi said eliminating taxes on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems would significantly reduce their cost, making residential rooftop solar installations accessible to more households.
Delivering a lecture on the theme, “Driving the Green Energy Transition: Translating Ghana’s LPG Adoption Model to Residential Rooftop Solar PV Systems,” he said Ghana’s transition to decentralised renewable electricity generation had been slow despite growing energy demands.
“Ghana’s transition to decentralise its renewable electricity has been slow, compounded by chronic power shortages, and recent analysis in the Accra East Region reveals deficits of 8.33 per cent in the commercial sector, and 2.19 per cent in residential areas, with further shortfalls in special load tariffs,” he said.
Prof. Amuzuvi, who also chairs the Governing Council of Takoradi Technical University, said the findings highlighted the urgent need for targeted interventions to improve electricity supply, adding that residential solar PV systems offered a technically viable solution if supported by the right policies.
He noted that the affordability of solar systems in Ghana was influenced not only by engineering design but also by taxes and levies imposed on imported equipment.
“It must be noted that not just engineering design determines the real affordability of residential solar PV systems in Ghana, but import duties, Value Added Tax (VAT), and regulatory levies embedded in the supply chain,” he said.
Prof. Amuzuvi argued that removing all taxes on solar panels and accessories would encourage wider adoption of renewable energy while helping to reduce the country’s carbon emissions.
“The only way Ghana can make good use of a natural resource, which God has bestowed on us and endowed to us for free, is to embark vigorously on a National Residential Rooftop Solar PV Promotion Drive, as was done in the past by the adoption of the LPG model,” he said.
He said such a national programme would not only expand access to clean energy but also stimulate growth in the solar PV industry and create sustainable employment opportunities for young engineers.
According to Prof. Amuzuvi, a nationwide rooftop solar promotion initiative modelled on Ghana’s successful liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) adoption programme would support the country’s green energy transition while addressing persistent power supply challenges.
Source: GNA
