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Baldwin College Adopts Solar Power
Baldwin College has made the decision to adopt solar power and has taken the bold step in acquiring and installing solar panels to produce and store electricity to meet the electricity needs of the College's main campus located in Osu, off the Oxford Street, Accra.
Due to the ongoing load shedding exercise that has plagued and crippled the country for the past four years, it has become difficult for the people of Ghana to expect constant power supply from power producers in the country. Students studying in various institutions in the country are the most affected as they move from place to place in search of power to enable them complete assigments, study for examinations and conduct research. This has made it very difficult to be a student in these times of load shedding.
Solar power, according to Wikipedia, is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power. A photovoltaic system employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells to supply usable solar power. A solar panel refers to the panel designed to absorb the sun's rays as a source of energy for generating electricity.
Due to the tropical weather climate in Ghana, there is an abundance of sunlight in the country with an average of ten (10) hours of sunlight in a day, a sufficient amount of sunlight to enable the installed solar panels generate and store enough electricity for use all year round.
The college has therefore installed solar panels that have the capacity of running the main campus for a period of 24 hours a day all year round without the need to resort to the main electricity grid for power.
This investment will enable both students and faculty members of the college learn and conduct academic activities in a conducive environment at all times without the fear of power fluctuations during a lecture or any such academic activity they may be involved in on campus. The solar panels that have been installed are sufficient to provide the college's electricity needs at all times without the college needing to resort to power generating sets or electricity from the electricity grid. However, there is a backup generating plant in case the unexpected happens to ensure students of the college are in no way made to suffer the stresses brought about by our country's load shedding exercise.
Dr. Akwasi Achampong, Chancellor of Baldwin College, believes the installation of these solar panels and the adoption of green energy will enable the college achieve its vision of aspiring to become the preferred Institution that trains the minds that make important decisions in shaping the world.