The Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) program in Ghana has launched Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to drive the country's energy transition and climate-resilient development.

The five SIGs focus on specific areas, namely New Energy Vehicle Group, Green Hydrogen, Financing the Energy Transition, Inclusive Net-Zero Emissions Future and Clean Cooking.

Each SIG has its own thematic focus and activities, aimed at promoting the adoption of CCG research and knowledge products. These products will be translated into capacity-building initiatives, and the SIGs will also generate new knowledge through various mechanisms to help shape Ghana's sustainable future.

SIGs key roles and focus areas

The New Energy Vehicle Group focuses on various aspects of new energy vehicles, including component manufacturing and testing, assessing the impact of charging stations on the grid, and identifying skills gaps in the workforce.

The lead, Dr. Godwin Ayetor, talked about the implications of electric vehicle policy implementation on supply and demand, including power quality and grid response, integrating renewable energy sources, feasibility and smart charging of electric vehicles and time-of-day tariffs.

He notes that while some projects have been completed, others are ongoing, such as investigating the impact of fast-charging stations on power quality, examining the effects of bidirectional charging and net-metering on the grid, assessing the profitability of charging stations, among others.

These studies aim to address key challenges and opportunities in the transition to electric vehicles, ensuring a smooth and sustainable integration into the energy system.

The Green Hydrogen Group, led by Dr. Patrick Boakye, explores different types of hydrogen, overcoming production challenges, such as infrastructure development, production cost, storage solutions and transportation logistics.

"Significant investment needed to develop infrastructure for production, storage and distribution," he said.

He says that hydrogen's storage and transportation pose unique challenges due to its characteristics, specifically low energy density, requiring specialized equipment and high flammability, necessitating strict safety measures.

Dr. Yen Adams Sokama-Neuyam leads the Inclusive Net-Zero Emissions Future initiative, which aims to develop an Interactive GHG Emissions Map, a GHG Emissions Monitoring and Forecasting Framework, a Methane Management Framework and Industrial Decarbonization Solutions.

These efforts will provide a comprehensive understanding of Ghana's emissions landscape, enabling identification of emissions hotspots and trends, targeted actions for reduction, evidence-based decision-making for policymakers and researchers and timely policy adjustments through feedback mechanisms.

Dr. Sokama-Neuyam emphasizes the need for a holistic understanding of the oil and gas industry's carbon footprint and its contribution to Ghana's GHG emissions, facilitating informed strategies for a net-zero future.

"Effective plan is needed to sustainably utilize fossil fuels for industrialization to power economic growth" he said.

The ‘Financing the Energy Transition’ Group, led by Charlotte Asiedu, will design a carbon market framework tailored to Ghana's needs, identify opportunities for the Government of Ghana to generate funds through carbon credits and develop a thorough due diligence framework for banking in the renewable energy sector

It will also establish a robust framework for public-private partnerships in financing renewable energy projects.

The group's research focuses on mitigating risks in the renewable energy sector to create a more favorable financial environment. This will facilitate collaboration between the public and private sectors, driving sustainable energy initiatives and supporting Ghana's energy transition.

The group also aims to bridge the financial gap in Ghana's energy transition by creating an enabling environment for investment and partnerships.

She says the SIG will prioritize formulating a due diligence framework specifically tailored for Renewable Energy (RE) projects, ensuring comprehensive assessment and risk management throughout project lifestyles.

"Activities adhere to Ghana's Net-Zero ambitions and the country-specific stakeholder ecosystem" she stated.

The Clean Cooking Group, led by Dr. Rejoice Ntiriwaa Ossei-Bremang, aims to develop a clean cooking adoption model for Ghana, conduct policy studies and reviews, support gender-transformative research and create climate resilience methodologies to decarbonize cooking.

Dr. Ossei-Bremang emphasizes the group's focus on nature-based solutions, including supporting Ghana's Net Zero goal, investing in blue carbon initiatives, mangrove replanting programs and agroforestry solutions.

These efforts aim to create a sustainable and clean cooking value chain, promoting environmentally friendly practices and reducing carbon emissions.

UK-Funded CCG program drives low-carbon growth in Ghana

The Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) program, funded by the UK government, aims to reduce carbon emissions in the energy and transport sectors.

Ghana is one of six countries participating in this initiative, with activities coordinated by the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre (TBHEC) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

According to the co-coordinator of CCG activities in Ghana, Professor Francis Kemausuor, the program's implementation is guided by a country-specific strategy document and involves collaboration with special interest groups to achieve its objectives.

"These special groups are people who have specialities and interest in an area," he said

Professor Kemausuor also hints at the potential expansion of the special interest groups to encompass additional areas in the future, further supporting Ghana's energy transition process. This means that the CCG program may evolve to address emerging needs and opportunities, ensuring a comprehensive approach to decarbonizing the energy and transport sectors in Ghana.

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