Prospects for bioenergy use in Ghana using Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning model

Abstract

As Ghana's economy grows, the choice of future energy paths and policies in the coming years will have a significant influence on its energy security. A Renewable Energy Act approved in 2011 seeks to encourage the influx of renewable energy sources in Ghana's energy mix. The new legal framework combined with increasing demand for energy has created an opportunity for dramatic changes in the way energy is generated in Ghana. However, the impending changes and their implication remain uncertain. This paper examines the extent to which future energy scenarios in Ghana could rely on energy from biomass sources, through the production of biogas, liquid biofuels and electricity. Analysis was based on moderate and high use of bioenergy for transportation, electricity generation and residential fuel using the LEAP model. Results obtained indicate that introducing bioenergy to the energy mix could reduce GHG emissions by about 6 million tonnes CO2e by 2030, equivalent to a 14% reduction in a businessas-usual scenario. This paper advocates the use of second generation ethanol for transport, to the extent that it is economically exploitable. Resorting to first generation ethanol would require the allocation of over 580,000 ha of agricultural land for ethanol production.

A review of China’s energy consumption structure and outlook based on a long-range energy alternatives modeling tool

“…LEAP was developed by the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI-US) (Schnaars 1987;Heaps 2002Heaps , 2012. Specifically, LEAP is a scenario-based energy environment modeling tool for energy policy analysis and can be used to track energy consumption, production and resource extraction in all the sectors (Chontanawat et al 2014;Kemausuor et al 2015). The aim of the model is to analyze the effects of multiple factors on energy consumption under different scenarios in an objective, quantitative and comprehensive way, to provide a reference for the policy makers and investors (Huang et al 2011).…”

Electricity as a Cooking Means in Nepal—A Modelling Tool Approach

“…Park et al [36] used LEAP to simulate the annual electricity demand and supply system of Japan from 2011 to 2030 as an alternative electricity scenario to meet the goals of nuclear phase-out and greenhouse gas emission reduction. Different authors have used LEAP as a long-term scenario analysis and management tool-although their scope, context, duration, sector and methodology differ-for different countries (e.g., for Taiwan [37], Korea [38], Pakistan [39], Iran [40], Ghana [41] and Lebanon [42]). A schematic representation of the LEAP model framework implemented in this work is shown in Figure 2.…”

In the shadows of power: the infrastructural violence of thermal power generation in Ghana's coastal commodity frontier

“…The country's reliance on hydropower became problematic however, and beginning in the early 1980s a series of droughts marked the beginning of a tumultuous period of power outages across the country (Kapika and Eberhard 2013). In the face of these recurring blackouts, the VRA and partners recommended the addition of thermal power to the country's power mix to reduce reliance on unreliable rainfall (Kemausuor et al 2015). The first thermal power station (the Takoradi Thermal Power Station or TTPS) was built in Aboadze in 1997, and over two years additional units were added bringing total capacity to 330MW.…”