article · Energy Reports
A balanced energy mix is critical for sustaining economic growth in Ghana, making the assessment of renewable options essential. Five renewable energy sources, specifically hydro, biomass, solar photovoltaics, wind, and solar thermal, were assessed across thirteen distinct criteria. These criteria drew on both published literature and expert insights. A multi-criteria decision-making framework using CRITIC weighting alongside MOORA, TOPSIS, and COPRAS ranking algorithms determined the viability of each option. The analysis identified hydro power as the most promising renewable energy source for Ghana, followed in descending order by biomass, solar photovoltaics, wind, and solar thermal. Statistical validation confirmed significant agreement among the different ranking techniques. These insights provide structured guidance for the strategic implementation of renewable resources for improved national sustainability.
Selecting the best renewable energy technologies is essential for economic stability and environmental targets. By using mathematical modelling and expert insights to compare distinct resources, decision-makers can direct funding towards the most viable options. This structured prioritisation supports cleaner power systems, reduces investment risks, and aids Ghana in building a more resilient, sustainable national energy grid.
The analytical framework directly assists energy planners, policymakers, and infrastructure investors determining project pipelines in Ghana. By ranking resources from hydro down to solar thermal, the findings help focus capital allocation towards the highest-performing energy sectors. As an applied analytical assessment, this methodology is ready for immediate use in policy design, though specific commercial project deployment requires subsequent engineering and feasibility studies.
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Renewable energy sources are seen as future energy sources. Ensuring Ghana’s future economic growth requires a balanced energy mix. The study evaluates five renewable energy sources (solar PV, solar thermal, hydro, wind and biomass) against thirteen criteria using muilticiteria multicriteria decision making (MCDM) techniques. Whilst six criteria data were obtained from literature, seven were obtained from experts’ views. Each criterion’s priority weight affects the total ranking of options. CRITIC weighting technique was used to determine the weight of each criterion. MOORA, TOPSIS and COPRAS ranking algorithm were used to rank the five sources. From our analysis, the most promising RE for Ghana is Hydro. The order of prioritization is obtained as hydro > biomass >solar PV > Wind> Solar thermal. The results from the ranking techniques were validated by the Spearman’s correlation co-efficient and p-value to ensure there is positive significant correlation between the ranking techniques. The findings of this study will help in strategic implementation of renewable energy sources for improved sustainability in Ghana.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2022.10.120
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