Barriers and prospects of smart grid adoption in Ghana

Abstract

Distributed generation presents the potential solution to the power deficit problem faced in developing counties by encouraging local generation with renewable energy resources that are abundantly available in some part of the world, especially in Ghana. Distributed generations on the other hand are closely linked to Smart Grid (SG) that uses information technology to manage electricity networks. A plethora of problems relating to safety, reliability and affordability of Smart grid solutions remains challenging today. In Africa, especially in Ghana, the adoption of smart grid has been very slow, poorly managed, and almost inexistent in some countries despite the crucial need for electricity provision. This slow adoption can be attributed to many limiting factors that demand a thorough investigation. This paper aims at investigating the barriers to the adoption of smart grids in Africa and also develops and evaluates countermeasures to hasten the adoption process. A stratified sampling approach was used to collect comprehensive data in Ghana that were handled with SmartPLS software. The evaluation of factors was done through inferential statistics. The impact of the proposed measures was tested using a partial least structural equation model analysis. Findings revealed some factors that strongly influence the adoption of SG including cost, education, government policies; other factors like culture, Grid stability, had slight influence on the adoption process, nevertheless, societal perception had a low impact on the adoption process and therefore attracts less attention in fostering the SG acceptance in Ghana. Regarding SG prospects, the study identified several factors that can foster the prospect of smart grid adoption in Ghana namely education on smart grid technology, government policies and consumers behaviour. It is believed that, if careful attention is given to the factors listed above, the adoption of SG in Ghana will move at a faster speed.