School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG13, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG56, Legon, Accra, Ghana; UESP Capacity-Building and Training, Min. of Loc. Govt. and Rural Devmt., Ministries, PMB, Accra, Ghana; School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Ghana; Legal Resources Centre (LRC), Ghana; Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, Ghana; Waste Management Department (WMD), Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Accra, Ghana
Fobil, J.N., School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG13, Legon, Accra, Ghana, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Ghana, Legal Resources Centre (LRC), Ghana; Carboo, D., Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG56, Legon, Accra, Ghana, Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, Ghana; Armah, N.A., UESP Capacity-Building and Training, Min. of Loc. Govt. and Rural Devmt., Ministries, PMB, Accra, Ghana, Waste Management Department (WMD), Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Accra, Ghana
In countries such as Ghana, which are still undergoing restructuring in their economies, low-cost energy supplies are most vital for development initiatives and may not only be the main constraint to their economic growth, but a principal source of conflicts in this century. But whether a meaningful and sustainable economic growth would be achieved or not rests exclusively on the removal of these energy constraints either by way of substitution for increasingly expensive conventional energy sources or new discoveries of cheaper alternatives that would power their industries. Such alternative sources should not only be cheap with great capability of promoting viable economies of scale, but also should be eco-efficient. Today, the traditional energy sources such as hydroelectric power, wood fuel, and oils are increasingly less attractive with a grown knowledge of their effects on the natural environment. This paper discusses research experiences gathered during a study that was undertaken in Accra, Ghana, to explore the potential for utilising municipal solid waste (MSW) for energy generation in a low-income economy and at the same time, address worsening MSW problems in the major cities. The results show that MSW in a typical low-income country is wet with low calorific values between 14 MJ/kg and 20 MJ/kg and an average energy recovery efficiency of about 40%. Copyright © 2005 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Economic growth; Low-cost energy; Municipal solid wastes (MSW); Restructuring; Cost effectiveness; Energy utilization; Industrial economics; Municipal engineering; Social aspects; Sustainable development; Solid wastes; economy of scale; electricity supply; municipal solid waste; power generation; Accra; Africa; Eastern Hemisphere; Ghana; Greater Accra; Sub-Saharan Africa; West Africa; World