Editorial: ECG must employ reverse metering to conserve energy

In a related development, as more businesses invest in solar energy, President-Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Kofi Nsiah-Poku has urged the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to implement reverse metering – describing its absence as a long-standing challenge without a clear solution.

Many individuals and companies are generating excess electricity but lack the means to feed it into the national grid. Mr. Nsiah-Poku observed that this gap undermines efforts to promote renewable energy and limits the full benefits of private sector investment in power generation.

Reverse metering would allow consumers to supply surplus electricity to ECG and draw from the grid when needed, with a net balance calculated at the end of each billing cycle. Either ECG does not have a solution or they are not interested.

While government is promoting solar, one finds it hard to understand why ECG is not prepared to take in excess to power industry, especially as a 24-hour economy is being rolled out. In most countries reverse meters are used!

There is growing investment in renewable energy by Ghanaian businesses, underscoring a need for policies that maximise the benefits of private sector-generated power while supporting national energy goals.

Mr. Nsiah-Poku further questioned the coherence of government policy, arguing that promoting solar energy without enabling mechanisms such as reverse metering undermines efforts to strengthen the energy sector.

Reverse metering, also known as net metering, is a billing mechanism that allows owners of renewable energy systems (like solar panels) to send excess electricity into the utility grid.

When solar panels or wind turbines generate electricity for homes or business, excess production of electricity or the surplus is exported to the utility grid. A bi-directional meter (or a ‘reverse meter’) then tracks both the energy consumed and energy exported.

This mechanism allows users to offset electricity consumption at night or on cloudy days, effectively using the grid as a storage system.

As the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is currently facing pressure to adopt the technology for promoting renewable energy growth, it can take a cue from the AGI and invest in net metering – a crucial tool in today’s world – to conserve energy.

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