Government has been urged to establish an autonomous body under the Ministry of Energy to be responsible for the development and promotion of solar energy resources which could set free more than 40 per cent of the nation's electricity supply for industrial use.

A statement the Ghana Solar Energy Society (GHASES) issued in Accra after its fourth Annual General Meeting said the benefits that could accrue to the nation when it took to the massive use of solar energy were enormous.

It said the cocoa and the salt industry, which earned the country about 400 million dollars annually depended on solar energy.

The statement signed by Dr Kaku Kyiamah, President of the society said it was unfortunate that the country was yet "to apply scientific and technological know-how for the effective and efficient use of the abundant solar energy."

Very often the application of the technology to use solar energy is brushed aside as being uneconomic and expensive and yet this is energy underpinning the cocoa and salt industries."

The statement said, "Realistic demonstrations and calculations have shown that with the relevant social and technical will, at practically no extra cost, the adoption of solar energy can free more than 40 per cent of our electricity supply for industrial use".

The body would serve as a technical organ for the implementation of the policies of the Ministry of Energy on solar energy, serve as the fulcrum for its promotion in the various sectors of the economy and would serve as an advisory body on legislation to encourage the use of the energy.

The statement explained that the body would serve as a base for studies, research and project initiation, provide information to Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) on energy pricing mechanism to support agriculture and industry while creating market channels for the use of solar energy.

It said the creation of a renewable energy centre at Appolonia recognized the need to establish such a body because that centre could not address the major role solar energy could play to answer the question of sustainable and reliable energy generation and utilization in Ghana.

It said a measure to induce consumers to shift to solar energy by electricity consumers who have the means to use more than 500kWh of electricity in a month should have the means to pay commensurate rates for the extra electricity used since the current of 960kWh the PURC approved was low.

"Non residential consumers who do not use electricity for industrial production such as offices and shops who have the means to use more than 1000kWh of electricity in a month should also have the means to pay commensurate rates for extra electricity used.

It said the fall off from the payment of such rates could create the relevant financial mechanism to cushion the up-front cost of solar energy equipment.

The statement said many countries have established such bodies to take care of the development and utilization of solar energy and Ghana deserved one as well.