Assessing the effectiveness of energy policies in accelerating renewable energy-based mini-grid deployment: A case study

Abstract

Recent global initiatives to increase renewable energy capacity have presented a pathway to simultaneously meet future electricity demands and achieve decarbonization. However, emerging economies have seen marginal growth partly because of ineffective energy policies enacted to propagate the adoption of these renewable energy technologies. Using Ghana as a case study, this research focused on assessing the impact of energy policies on deploying renewable energy technologies, specifically focusing on renewable energy-based hybrid mini-grids. The weighted sum multi-criteria decision and SWOT analysis methods were used to evaluate the policies' effectiveness. The results highlighted that numerous energy policies implemented across Ghana did not fully promote mini-grid development. The study showed that only the renewable energy master plan and the scaling-up renewable energy program had clearly defined strategies for mini-grid development. The study revealed that financial constraints, complex implementation strategies and limited monitoring mechanisms are the main reasons why the policies are ineffective in promoting the industry in Ghana.