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The Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA) has called on the government to set aside seperate funds which house owners can access to finance solar power systems for residential apartments, rather than making the cost of the equipment part of the housing cost.

The association noted that already the income of most Ghanaians do not qualify them for mortgages, hence adding the cost of the solar panels to the prices of homes would further knowck out a lot of people from accessing mortgaging or owning a house.

“Most Ghanaians do not qualify for mortgages from the finance houses and these solar panels come at a cost, that when you add to the cost of the houses, people won’t be able to afford,” the Executive Director of GREDA, Mr Sammy Amegayibor, told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS in an interview.

His comments come on the back of a government initiative to introduce solar panels in homes as a means of conserving power in the face of the country’s current energy crisis.

Last February, President John Dramani Mahama announced in his state of the nation address to parliament that about 200,000 rooftop solar systems would be set up this year to save the country about 200 megawatts of power daily.

The solar project which is to be spearheaded by the Energy Commission is expected to provide a more efficient source of power during this time of national power crisis. 

But according to Mr Amegayibor, there was the need for massive education and sensitisation for people to understand the dynamics of the system and its cost implications. 

“If for instance, the house would cost GHC150,000, fitting the solar panels will add about GHC10,000 extra cost, what we are saying is provide incentives for those who will sign up to reduce the cost burden,” he explained.

The country is still searching for solutions to deal with the power crisis, consumers are having a difficult time getting access to regular supply of power for their consumption, and businesses are equally having their fair share of the situation. Some are collapsing while others have resorted to cutting down on employee numbers as a means of staying in business. 

After so many years of depending on hydropower, the country is now placing greater emphasis on gas to generate power.  Solar, therefore, is expected to be one of the energy options that are available to the country.