The German company Redavia has recently put into operation a small photovoltaic solar power plant in Sedorm-Yiti in south-eastern Ghana. The plant, which also serves as a carport, supplies electricity to the Kete Krachi Timber Recovery (KKTR) sawmill.
Part of the electricity consumed by the Kete Krachi Timber Recovery (KKTR) sawmill in Sedorm-Yiti will come from a much greener source. It is a small solar power plant that has just been installed on the site by German off-grid supplier Redavia. For this project, the German company offered its Solar Carport solution.
It is a carport with a roof equipped with solar panels. The solution allows companies like KKTR to optimise their grounds. The photovoltaic solar power plant, which has a capacity of 33,872 kWh per year, also prevents the emission of 14,565 tons of carbon dioxide over the same period of time. The installation is expected to supply 45% of the electricity needs of KKTR’s sawmill.
“Redavia’s carport solution allows companies like KKTR to focus precisely on its goals of economic growth and sustainability. The Solar Carport provides renewable and cost-effective energy under a flexible rental contract,” explains Redavia. In other words, KKTR will simply pay an electricity bill to Redavia.
KKTR was established after the filling of the Akosombo dam. The water reservoir was built on the Volta River, with a height of 111 m and 660 m. Its reservoir formed one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, occupying 3.6% of Ghana’s surface area. This hydroelectric project, which has achieved an installed capacity of 1,020 MW, has had enormous consequences both for the local population (80,000 displaced persons, editor’s note) and the environment.
The Akosombo Dam reservoir literally flooded a vast forest. Completely submerged, the biodiversity has completely disappeared, leaving dead trees under water. Despite all these years spent under water, the wood in good state of conservation is recovered by KKTR. The company estimates that the Volta Lake is full of about 14 million m³ of salvageable wood.
Jean Marie Takouleu
