To ensure an adequate and reliable electricity supply, the Resource Management Support Centre (RMSC), Kumasi, has installed solar panels to act as a backup power source for the newly constructed server room which hosts the Wood Tracking System (WTS).
This move comes after the Centre reviewed its energy consumption and realized that it was consuming so much energy and was persistently harassed by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for nonpayment of bills. From the assessment, RMSC consumed over GH ₵109,000 worth of electricity from January to June 2024 alone. The bills took a toll on their expenditure which compelled Management to explore ways to use solar energy, which was heavily underutilised.
The over-dependence on ECG for its energy supply however expensive and unreliable, necessitated the move.
The Center contacted the ECG managers to assess the possibility of fully switching to solar energy. After the completion of the engineering work, all the electrical appliances in the RMSC offices, including air conditioners, were put on the solar system, with the exception of the Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
This move they believed, would reduce their dependence on the national grid by 90%.
Some of the benefits to be derived from this switch to solar energy are that, RMSC could offload its extra power generated from the solar panels to ECG at a cost yet to be determined by management. RMSC could also enjoy an uninterrupted power supply, whilst cutting down electricity costs by 90%. This reliance on green energy will ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is surely a climate-smart example worth emulating.
