Scholars generally argue that nationalism and secessionism pose important dilemmas for national, regional and global order. Yet, there is inadequate discussion on the varied contexts of nationalist ...secessionist movements and how they influence or are influenced by domestic and global forces. Addressing this concern, this article undertakes a three‐case comparison of the Western Togoland separatist movement in Ghana, Southwest and Northwest (Anglophone) Cameroon's secessionist movement and the movement for independent Catalonia in Spain. These dissimilar cases—both from Global South and North—enable a broader examination of how themes such as political history, state capacity and regional/continental organisations affect nationalist‐induced secessionist movements and the measures to address them. Using a thematic comparative approach, this article examines the relevant literature on secessionism, nationalism, regionalism and cognate fields to demonstrate that the dynamics and consequence of secessionist movements depend largely on four interwoven factors: (a) the internal organisation and support for the nationalists' course, (b) state capacity to handle uprisings, (c) political conditions and conflict context of neighbouring countries and (d) interest and (re)actions of regional bodies and international allies. The comparative approach thus offers nuance, illustrating the critical angles of variations and intersections in secessionist movements and the effect on global order.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
There is evidence that majority of students in many African countries own and use smartphones. Due to their portability and the many functions, they are used to perform, smartphones have virtually ...become a necessity. In education, it is known to facilitate communication and knowledge sharing among students. Yet, many students use smartphones for entertainment purposes. Worst of all, research that investigates the factors that influence students’ use of smartphones for learning are scarce particularly, in many African countries. Therefore, this study examines the influencing factors of smartphone use for academic purposes. It deviates from the few existing studies that have predominantly drawn samples from tertiary students of developed countries. The study presented a research model founded on UTAUT 2. Responses were gathered from 708 Ghanaian high school students using a questionnaire. Based on these responses, Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling was used to validate the model. The results confirmed that Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions and Social Influence have significant influence on Hedonic Motivation and Perceived Usefulness. Similarly, Habit and Price Value mediated the effects of Hedonic Motivation and Perceived Usefulness on Behavioural Intention and Use Behaviour. The findings suggest that, educational institutions must provide the necessary support conditions for students to use smartphones for learning.
► Significant number of residential customers in Christchurch are willing to participate in demand response. ► The modelling result shows potential 11.7% and 9% reduction in the morning and evening ...peaks respectively. ► The behaviour of the different components of residential load is necessarily for effective residential demand response analysis.
Electricity demand response refers to consumer actions that change the utility load profile in a way that reduces costs or improves grid security. Residential demand response (RDR) can be treated as an energy resource which can be assessed and commercially developed. RDR prospectors require more detailed information about usage patterns and penetration for specific electrical appliances during system peak load. The electric utilities normally measure electricity consumption data aggregated over many households and other users on a feeder and do not have information on household end-use behaviour. This paper describes a bottom-up diversified demand model that can be used to estimate load profile of residential customers in a given region. The model has been calibrated by a stated preference demand response survey and used to estimate the voluntary demand response potential for the residential customers in Christchurch, New Zealand, where winter peak demand is becoming increasingly difficult to meet on a capacity-constrained network.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
This study examines the concept of demand response in household appliance use. Its primary aim is to explore the factors influencing electricity consumption behavior and employ K-means clustering to ...group households, estimating daily electricity consumption patterns. This understanding is essential for the development of effective demand response strategies within the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. The research leveraged metrics, such as the Silhouette Score and principal component analysis to ensure the quality of the clustering process, effectively combining qualitative and quantitative data. Insights were enhanced by incorporating consumer behavior surveys to better comprehend appliance use trends and optimize demand response strategies. The findings emphasize differences in voltage, intensity, power consumption, and smart meter data among different household clusters. Notably, clusters 1 and 3 emerge as high energy consumers, particularly in water and cold appliances. These insights offer valuable guidance for targeted energy management and optimization strategies. This study underscores the significance of using consumer behavior insights to enhance and optimize demand response programs, providing essential guidance to energy stakeholders, particularly in Ghana, for the efficient optimization of electricity consumption and the successful implementation of demand response initiatives.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Photovoltaic (PV) module degradation rate depends on technology, manufacturer and environmental conditions. This makes it challenging to transfer the results of degradation analysis from one country ...to another. Thus, the increase in deployment of PV systems in Ghana makes degradation analysis a necessity. This study quantified the degradation rates and predicted the lifetime of 16 PV systems of different module technologies and age groups installed in different locations under outdoor conditions in Ghana to provide a better understanding of the long-term behavior of installed PV systems in Ghana. It presented the frequency distribution of output power degradation of different PV module technologies, estimated their power degradation rates, and predicted and compared the lifetime of these technologies. The country was grouped into three strata and 104 PV modules of different technologies which were older than 5 years were selected from 16 PV systems in these strata, depending on availability and accessibility. The electrical parameters of the PV modules were measured by current–voltage (IV) tracing. The results revealed that crystalline silicon modules degraded less than amorphous silicon. The median and mean power degradation rates of, monocrystalline silicon were 1.23%/year and 1.37%/year respectively, polycrystalline silicon were 1.35%/year and 1.44%/year respectively and, amorphous silicon were 1.65%/year and 1.67%/year respectively. Overall, the median and mean predicted lifetime of the PV systems (crystalline and amorphous silicon) were 14 year and 16 years respectively but the median lifetime of both monocrystalline and polycrystalline modules was 16 years while that of amorphous was 13 years. It was predicted that 50% of PV modules studied would fail before 15 years, indicating that most of the PV modules in Ghana are unlikely to operate for the 25 years warranty, signifying less power output and shorter lifetime of the modules which could discourage the widespread implementation of PV systems in Ghana.
•Degradation rates of installed PV modules in 16 locations in Ghana are analyzed.•PV modules of different technologies which were more than 5 years old were studied.•Median power degradations were m-Si (1.23%/yr), p-Si (1.35%/yr) and a-Si (1.65%/yr).•Lifetime of crystalline and amorphous modules were 16 and 13 years respectively.•About 50% of installed PV modules studied was predicted to fail before 15 years.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The Government of Ghana has defined key targets for its energy sector to provide electricity for all the citizens by the end of 2020. Renewable energy has been identified as one of the promising ...options for electricity generation in Ghana. Thus, Renewable Energy Act, 2011 (Act 882) was espoused to provide regulatory framework and monetary incentives to boost private sector investment and promote the use of renewable energy in efficient and sustainable manner. There is also a target to contribute 10% renewable energy (excluding large hydro) to the electricity generation mix by 2020. To achieve this target, the Government provides a lot of support for investment in renewable energy. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the status of renewable energy penetration in Ghana's electricity supply mix after the Renewable Energy Act was adopted. The review mainly focused on renewable energy resources, current generation status and their applications, and ongoing renewable energy projects in Ghana, with comparative information from five countries spread across Africa; Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt, that are also focused on development of renewable energy resources. The review reveled that renewable energy resources abound in Ghana that could be promoted for economic development and reduce the negative effects of climate change. However, a small fraction of the renewable energy potential has been exploited for electricity supply despite the Government's efforts to promote and increase renewable energy technologies in the country. The renewable energy target of 10% by the year 2020 is unlikely to be achieved as most of the policy instruments in the Renewable Energy Act could not be fully operationalised to boost renewable energy investment. The government has therefore, extended the 10% target to the year 2030 and has come up with Renewable Energy Master Plan with estimated investments required to achieve the target.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Persuasive system features have been widely adopted to encourage attitude and behaviour change. Recently, most social networking sites (SNS) adopt some form of persuasive system features that ...leverage social influence to deliberately induce prescribed behaviours in their users. However, studies on how these features can be used to promote knowledge sharing are inadequate; particularly, regarding how SNS that have been developed solely for academic purposes can adopt these features to promote knowledge sharing. To address this knowledge gap, this study integrates constructs from the social capital theory and persuasive systems design model to investigate the impact of persuasive social features on knowledge sharing among students of tertiary institutions on academic social networking sites. Data are quantitatively gathered from 218 respondents from tertiary institutions and statistically analyzed. The results suggest that perceived dialogue support and perceived social support have strong influences on knowledge sharing behaviour.
Lay Description
What is already known about this topic:
Researchers' use of Academic Social Networking Sites has been prevalent.
Knowledge sharing is essential in research.
Users are predominant information consumers rather than sharers.
Encouraging knowledge sharing continues to be a problem.
What this paper adds:
Persuasive system features are effective for inducing attitude and behaviour change.
Persuasion features that leverage on social activities influences knowledge sharing behaviour.
Implications for practice and/or policy:
Developers of Academic Social Networking Sites are encouraged to develop algorithms that connect users with similar understanding and values.
Improving dialogue and social support features on these sites can also improve knowledge sharing. For instance, users who actively contribute to discussions could receive open recognition, encouragement and motivation.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The electricity indebtedness of Ghanaian schools is increasing due to the high cost of electricity in the country. As a result, the utility companies frequently disconnect the schools from the grid ...to force them to settle their debts. Meanwhile, the school can reduce its bills from rooftop solar PV systems, yet little attention is given. The study uses the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) as a case to assess the technical feasibility, economic viability, and potential benefits of implementing rooftop solar PV electricity in Ghanaian schools. Google Earth software was used to estimate the structure's rooftop surface areas to determine the potential energy harvest from a PV plant.
In contrast, the economic analysis uses the net present value (NPV), internal rate of returns (IRR), discounted payback period (DPP) and profitability index (IP) to appraise the intended project. The results show that using rooftops of school structures can provide the needed electricity for local consumption and export excess to the grid for sales. The NPV, IRR, IP, and DPP recorded from the study are million GHS 15.15, 21%, 1.6 and 8 years, respectively. The findings highlight the potential of rooftop solar PV systems to meet educational institutions' electricity demand, exploring the possibility of exporting excess to the national grid for revenue (income generator), reducing operational costs, and contributing to a sustainable energy transition.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Degradation of p-Si modules from different manufacturers under same climatic conditions analysed.•Mean power degradation rates of modules from different manufacturers range from 0.79 to ...1.67%/year.•Modules from only one manufacturer degraded less than the warranty rate of 0.8%/year.•Power degradation rate has no correlation with age but the power degradation of all modules was mainly due to Isc degradation.•Discoloration of encapsulant and metallisation, and corrosion of frames found on modules from 4 manufacturers.
Different kinds of photovoltaic modules from various manufacturers have entered the PV market. However, the long-term performance of these modules under outdoor conditions is uncertain. This study evaluated the degradation of polycrystalline silicon modules from 11 different manufacturers installed under the same climatic conditions in Kumasi, Ghana with the aim of predicting the long-term performance of the modules. Specifically, this study sought to: (i) analyse the power degradation rates of the modules and determine the correlation between the degradation and the age of the modules, (ii) determine the correlation between the power degradation and other electrical performance parameters of the modules, (iii) identify the modules with visual defects and compare their degradation rates with the modules without any visual defects, (iv) compare the degradations of PV modules from the same manufacturer installed under the same climatic conditions for the same number of years and (v) assess the installation and maintenance practices that could negatively affect the degradation of the modules. Forty-eight PV modules from 11 different manufacturers were sampled from 12 PV systems installed between 5 and 9 years. The methods used were visual inspection, observation, interviews, and current–voltage (I-V) tracings. The results revealed the mean power degradation rates of the modules between 0.79 and 1.67%/year, contingent on the manufacturer. The power degradation rate had no correlation with the age of the modules but the power degradation of all modules was mainly due to the degradation of short circuit current (Isc) of the modules. Light encapsulant discoloration, dark encapsulant discoloration, minor frames corrosion, and minor metallization discoloration were found on modules from four different manufacturers. However, the degradation of electrical performance parameters could not be solely attributed to these visual defects. Slight variations in degradations were observed for PV modules from the same manufacturer installed under the same climatic conditions for the same number of years. The installation and maintenance practices of the system owners were similar and unlikely to impact differently on the degradation of the modules from different manufacturers.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The abundance of renewable energy in Ghana can play an important role in the rural electrification program rolled out by the Government of Ghana to promote energy that everyone can assess for ...improved living standards. It has the potential to meet the objectives of the energy sector which include; 10% renewable energy in the total generation mix, minimize the adverse effects of energy production on the environment, reduce poverty, and improve the socio-economic development of the country, mainly, in rural communities, creating community-based employment, etc. In this study, Nkrankrom was selected as a case study to evaluate the possibility of meeting their energy needs with a solar mini-grid. To determine the energy demand of the community, a structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The HOMER software was used to perform the financial viability of utilizing the solar resource available. The result shows that it is possible to meet the energy demand of the community from the solar resource available. The proposed system configuration included PV/Battery/Converter with a Levelized Cost of Energy of $0.107/kWh compared to $0.124/kWh (using $1 = GH₵4.98 rate), if the area is to be connected to the national grid. The breakeven distance or Electric Distance Limit (EDL) between standalone mini-grid and grid extension in this analysis was found to be 1.11 km. The study also revealed that solar mini-grid could have an immense benefit to the community both economically and socially such as improve the standard of living as well as meeting the rural development objectives of Ghana.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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