Ghana thinks big on small-scale solar

Off-grid solar provider Persistent Energy Ghana (PEG) is seeking to quadruple its customer base by year-end, despite the many challenges presented by a new market. “In Ghana, there are approximately 5m people off grid. If we only reach a tiny percentage of them, we will hit our targets,” PEG chief operating officer Nate Heller told African Energy. The company, owned by the US’ Persistent Energy Partners (PEP), has been active in Ghana since 2013, but its history goes back to 2009, when chief executive Hugh Whalan set up Energy in Common, a non-profit solar energy company in Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania dedicated to micro-financing of renewable projects.