Contents

Chapter 1 - Executive Summary ....................................................................................... 2

1.1 Summary of organization .......................................................................................... 2

1.2 Attachment Conditions.............................................................................................. 2

Chapter 2 - Introduction .................................................................................................... 4

2.1 Branch of Trade. ........................................................................................................ 4

2.2 Structure .................................................................................................................... 5

2.3 Field of Business ....................................................................................................... 6

Chapter 3 - Description of attachment .............................................................................. 7

3.1 Weekly timetable....................................................................................................... 8

3.2 Description of workstation ...................................................................................... 20

Chapter 4 - Impact of attachment .................................................................................... 23

Chapter 5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 27

References ......................................................................................................................... 28

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Chapter 1 - Executive Summary

1.1 Summary of organization

The Volta River Authority (VRA) was established on April 26, 1961 under the Volta

River Development Act, Act 46 of the Republic of Ghana, as a body corporate with the

mandate to operate mainly as a power generation, transmission and distribution utility.3

According to the 2014 annual report of the VRA, due to a major amendment to the VRA

Act in 2005, the operations of the VRA has largely been restricted to generation of

electricity. Transmission has therefore being separated into an entity, designated Ghana

Grid Company (GRIDCo) while the VRA’s distribution agency, the Northern Electricity

Department (NED), has been transformed into the Northern Electricity Distribution

Company (NEDCO), a stand-alone, wholly-owned, subsidiary of VRA.Hydroelectric

power is currently the largest producer of renewable energy in Ghana. Hydro generation

currently accounts for 60 percent of the total system supply, and this is the largest share

of the ramping capacity. The VRA, the major generation plant in the country, thus offers

the best environment for practical exposure to the operations of a hydro generation

process. Also, given that hydroelectricity is considered as a renewable energy, an

internship is a very good learning opportunity for the renewable energy engineer.

1.2 Attachment Conditions

Upon receipt of the letter of attachment proposal from the University, the VRA/ Nedco

responded affirmatively and offered to attach me with the Technical Maintenance

sections of electrical, lines, eGIS and fault Department from 23rd June to 11th August

2|Page
2017 which I accepted. The offer was made prior to an agreement that the authority

would not provide an attaché with transportation to and from the work place. Also, no

form of allowance, accommodation or meals will be provided. Work begins from 8:00

am till 4:00 pm.

The Technical Maintenance section as the name suggests, is in charge of maintaining all

electrical apparatus and equipment that are involved in both electricity and fault

processes. The section comprises of electrical engineers and electrical technicians, and is

headed by Mr. D. A. Gbadago, District Supervisor Manager.

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Chapter 2 - Introduction

2.1 Branch of Trade.

NEDCo was formed out of the Northern Electricity Department (NED) of the Volta River

Authority (VRA). NED itself was established in April 1987 when the northern electricity

distribution operations of the then Electricity Corporation of Ghana were ceded to the

VRA. The Authority, at that time, was in the process of extending the national grid

beyond Kumasi to the northern parts of Ghana. The Volta River Development

(Amendment) Law, 1987 (PNDCL 171) was passed to enable VRA to enter the

distribution market at the level of the consumer.

At the time of the inception of NED, some major towns were served by diesel generators.

Some of these towns with diesel generation included Sunyani, Techiman, Berekum,

Wenchi, Dormaa Ahenkro, Tamale, Yendi, Salaga, Bolgatanga, Navrongo, Bawku and

Wa. New diesel plants were also installed in Wa through the support of DANIDA in

1989. The electricity distribution network in Wa was also completely rehabilitated

through DANIDA support in 1992.

NED was originally started as three operational Areas namely Upper Area, Northern

Area and Brong-Ahafo Area. In 1995, however, the Upper Area was divided into upper

East and Upper West Areas. In 2003, the Brong-Ahafo area was also further divided into

two areas, Sunyani and Techiman.

In June 1994, the Government of Ghana (GoG) initiated the Power Sector Reform (PSR)

programme aimed at bringing efficiency and managerial effectiveness in the Energy

Sector in order to improve services delivery to all consumers. In pursuance of the Power

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Sector Reforms, VRA Management registered NEDCo as a wholly-owned VRA

subsidiary with a Board of Directors since 1997 to take over the operations of NED.

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 1777, Sunyani, Ghana.3

Phone: +233-03-5202204-13

Email: corporatecomms@nedco.com.gh3

Website: www.nedco.gh.com3

2.2 Structure

The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) as already mentioned, is a state

owned enterprise and is overseen by the Volta River Authority board. This board is made

up of the Managing Director, the Head audit, Head legal, Secretary, Manager of network

and customer and five other members. There is also a Director of services. The NEDCo

management is further sectionalized into principal offices. These include, the office of the

Director Finance, the Director Network and Operation, Director Engineering and Director

Commercial and Operation.3

Under the office of the Director services are the Manager of transports and security,

Manager of estate, Manager of procument, Manager of PM and HR services, Manager of

Recruitment Trang and Development and Manager of Corporation Commercial.

The Director Finance and Director Network and Operation is also made up of the

Manager of Technical and Operation, Manager of Treasury and investment, Manager

Technical Service, Manager of Safety, Manager of stores

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The Director Engineering Branch consists of the Manager of engineering, Manager of

project, Manager Network and Planning and Development, the Director of Finance, the

Director of Investment and the Director of Management Information Systems.

Last but not least, the Director of Commercial and Operation is made up of the Manager

of ICT, Manager of Strategy Management Manager of Customer Services, Manager of

Building and Revenue Protection.

Organogram of NEDCo

Source: nedco.com.gh/organizational_chart

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2.3 Field of Business

NedCo’s current operations extend into the northern parts of Volta, Ashanti and Western

regions. Although NEDCo’s operations cover about 64% of the geographical area of

Ghana, the customer density of the operating area is low with access to electricity in the

NEDCo operating area put at about 36% as at the end of 2011. The Ghana Government,

in line with its vision of making electricity available to all by year 2020, has undertaken

power extensions over the years to new towns and communities that were hitherto not

served by NEDCo1. Customer population has thus grown from less than 20,000 in 1987

to over 380,000 in 2011.

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Chapter 3 - Description of attachment

3.1 Weekly timetable

WEEKLY TIMETABLE

Week: 1

Department/ Section: Technical Maintenance (Electrical, Lines, eGIS and Fault Maintenance)

Date Objectives Tasks achieved Lesson learnt Hours

23- 06- 17 Orientation Safety measurement. I was about observe 4
some safety
Rules governing the measurement in the
company and their request. work place which
includes wearing
Executives of staffs and their helmet, putting on
current position in the gloves and when
company. check voltages on
transformers we need
to use the appropriate
tools to measure.
26- 06- 17  Attend  At the safety meeting, a Most electrical 8
mandatory lecture was presented on hazards are caused by
weekly what electric hazards are, unsafe equipment and
Safety what may lead to such installation, unsafe
Meeting. hazards, and how to environment and
prevent them. unsafe work practices.
Thus these must be
given critical attention
whenever working.

27- 06- 17 Air Conditioning Maintenance work was done There is a proper way 8
Maintenance on the air conditioner. This of handling electrical
included cleaning the dirty equipment and
and clogged filters. electric wires. Also,
cleaning is a very
critical aspect of
electrical maintenance
and should be viewed
as such.

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28- 06- 17 Patrol and Walking through to check When any object such 8
inspection on various electrical spans. as tree lies overhead
LV/ HT lines. Growing tress can cause the electrical poles.
issues on electrical lines For us not to
which can leads low voltage experience and low
in certain areas. voltage then we need
to trim some portion
of the tree to allow
the electrical pole not
to experience any
fault.
29- 06- 17 Prepare Complains from various Spans can be brought 8
document for areas where bought, and down, if the electrical
rotten LV poles. that has to do with their poles is rotton.
poles which is getting rotten
Feeder end and needs to replace.
voltage
measurement Measuring the voltages at
at various each substation to know the
substations. level of voltage at each area.

30- 06- 17  Attend  At the safety meeting, a Since it an electrical 4

mandatory lecture was presented on industry, customers
weekly customers need. comes there with their
Safety issues. Members of
Meeting. staffs were educated
to be patient and kind
towards the
customers.

9|Page
Week: 2

Department/ Section: Technical Maintenance (Electrical, Lines, eGIS and Fault Maintenance)

Date Objectives Tasks achieved Lesson learnt Hours

3- 07- 17 UNIT 3 Changing the fuse on the These fuses are there 8
Transformer transformer. to protect the
Maintenance transformer in case
there is a lightening of
heavy winds.
4- 07- 17 UNIT 3 Measure turns ratio,winding Transformer turns 8
Transformer resistance and insulation ratio is the ratio of the
maintenance resistance of transformer ratio of the number of
turns in the high
voltage winding to that
in the low voltage
winding. The turns
ratio could be affected
by physical damage
from faults or
deteriorated
insulation. The
purpose of the winding
resistance test is also
to test for gross
differences between
the windings and for
opens in the
connections.The tap
changes will also be
checked during a
winding resistance
test.
05- 07- 17  UNIT 3 As part of its efforts to With these software I 8
eGIS software ensure data integrity, was able know the
consistency and security, lines in each area and
improve revenue collection, transformers. In case
reduce illegal connections, there is a fault on a
and optimize network transformer we can
planning, design, module to direct the technicians
perform network analysis. to go and work on it.
06- 07- 17 UNIT 3 Blow and clean the radiator During transformer 8
Transformer and fans of the transformer. operation, the
Maintenance transformer windings
gets hot. The
transformer oil in
which the windings are
immersed expand due

10 | P a g e
 to the great amount of
heat. During the
expansion, air is
pushed out of the
conservator tank
through the breather.
After the oil cools
down, it contracts,
thus sucking in air
through the breather.
But to prevent the
transformer oil from
coming into contact
with moisture, the
breather is fitted with
stacks of silica gel.
These mop up any
moisture in the
atmospheric air before
it gets to the
conservator tank.
07- 07- 17 Attend  At the safety meeting, a Most electrical hazards 8
mandatory lecture was presented on are caused by unsafe
weekly Safety what electric hazards are, equipment and
Meeting what may lead to such installation, unsafe
hazards, and how to environment and
prevent them. unsafe work practices.
Thus these must be
given critical attention
whenever working.

11 | P a g e
Week: 3

Department/ Section: Technical Maintenance (Electrical, Lines, eGIS and Fault Maintenance)

Date Objectives Tasks achieved Lesson learnt Hours

10- 07- 17 Unit 3 Using the Breakdown Given that the 7
Transformer Analyzer® the dielectric transformer oil not
Maintenance. strength of the transformer only acts as a coolant
oil is tested. In the but also as an
Breakdown Analyzer®,slowly insulation, it should be
rising voltage is passed able to withstand the
across electrodes separated high voltage that the
at a specific gap which are transformer normally
immersed in the transformer deals with.
oil. The voltage increases till For used oil, the
a point when the resistivity expected minimum
of the transformer oil breaks breakdown voltage is
down and thus conducts. The 25kV, whereas 50kV is
voltage at which the the minimum
transformer oil loses its breakdown voltage of
resistivity is recorded. This is new oil.
done for six times on two
samples for accuracy.
11- 07- 17 Unit 4 Walking through to check 7
Patrol and various electrical spans. When any object such
inspection on Growing tress can cause as tree lies overhead
LV/ HT lines. issues on electrical lines the electrical poles.
which can leads low voltage For us not to
in certain areas. experience and low
voltage then we need
to trim some portion
of the tree to allow
the electrical pole not
to experience any
fault.
12- 07- 17  Prepare Complains from various Spans can be brought 7
document areas where bought, and down, if the electrical
for rotten LV that has to do with their poles is rotten
poles poles which is getting rotten
and needs to replace.

13- 07- 17 Unit 4  Insulation resistance test The ohmic resistance 7

Transformer of transformer fan and test is carried out to
Maintenance pump. measure the
 Ohmic resistance test of resistance of the
transformer fan and motor windings
pump. themselves whiles the
 Check tightness of insulation resistance

12 | P a g e
 shroud.
14- 07- 17  Attend  A lecture was given
mandatory concerning protection from
Safety injuries in the case of
meeting administering first aid.
 Unit 4  Continue with test from
Transformer previous day as pertaining
Maintenance to the transformer of unit
. 4. This is winding resistance
test and power factor test
on transformer 4.
test measures the
resistance of the
insulation, thus one of
the multimeter leads
is grounded. The usual
vibration of the
transformer could
cause the shroud to
loosen, if not
tightened, it could
lead to a fatal
accident.
In a situation where 7
one wants to admit
first aid to an injured
person, care should be
taken that neither the
injured person nor the
one administering the
first aid is further
exposed to
unnecessary risk. Thus
it is advised that in the
course of
administering first aid,
cover open wounds,
use protective barrier
and avoid touching
mouth eye and ear.

13 | P a g e
Week: 4

Department/ Section: Technical Maintenance (Electrical, Lines, eGIS and Fault Maintenance)

Date Objectives Tasks achieved Lesson learnt Hours

17- 07- 17 UNIT 4 Discuss the work for the Each and everyone 8
Attend day and how best to were know what will
mandatory accomplish them safely be done in the week
safety meeting and on time. and having in mind the
for the safety measures.
technical
department.
With these software I
Checking data processing was able know the
eGIS and loading estimate. lines in each area and
transformers. In case
there is a fault on a
transformer we can
direct the technicians
to go and work on it
18- 07- 17 UNIT 4 Measure turns ratio,winding Transformer turns 8
Transformer resistance and insulation ratio is the ratio of the
maintenance resistance of transformer ratio of the number of
turns in the high
voltage winding to that
in the low voltage
winding. The turns
ratio could be affected
by physical damage
from faults or
deteriorated
insulation. The
purpose of the winding
resistance test is also
to test for gross
differences between
the windings and for
opens in the
connections.The tap
changes will also be
checked during a
winding resistance
test.
19- 07- 17  UNIT 4 As part of its efforts to With these software I 8
eGIS software ensure data integrity, was able know the
consistency and security, lines in each area and
improve revenue collection, transformers. In case
reduce illegal connections, there is a fault on a

14 | P a g e
 and optimize network transformer we can
planning, design, module to direct the technicians
perform network analysis. to go and work on it.
20- 07- 17 UNIT 4 Blow and clean the radiator During transformer 8
Transformer and fans of the transformer. operation, the
Maintenance transformer windings
gets hot. The
transformer oil in
which the windings are
immersed expand due
to the great amount of
heat. During the
expansion, air is
pushed out of the
conservator tank
through the breather.
After the oil cools
down, it contracts,
thus sucking in air
through the breather.
But to prevent the
transformer oil from
coming into contact
with moisture, the
breather is fitted with
stacks of silica gel.
These mop up any
moisture in the
atmospheric air before
it gets to the
conservator tank.
21- 07- 17 Attend  At the safety meeting, a Most electrical hazards 8
mandatory lecture was presented on are caused by unsafe
weekly Safety what electric hazards are, equipment and
Meeting what may lead to such installation, unsafe
hazards, and how to environment and
prevent them. unsafe work practices.
Thus these must be
given critical attention
whenever working.

15 | P a g e
Week: 5

Department/ Section: Technical Maintenance (Electrical, Lines, eGIS and Fault Maintenance)

Date Objectives Tasks achieved Lesson learnt Hours

24- 07- 17 UNIT 5 Discuss the work for the Each and everyone 8
Attend day and how best to were know what will
mandatory accomplish them safely be done in the week
safety meeting and on time. and having in mind the
for the safety measures.
technical
department.
When any object such
Patrol and Inspection to check various tree falls on electrical
inspection on electrical fault on each spans lines it caused cornna
HV/LV lines and obstacles that has fallen effect and this can
on the lines. even destroy the
transformer.
25- 07- 17 UNIT 5 Electrical poles hold the lines Spans can be bought 8
Preparing when transmitting power down when electrical
document for from the substation. When poles are rotten.
rotten poles there is a rotten pole, the
lines can touch each other
and that can destroy the
transformer which can even
cause cornna effect.
26- 07- 17  UNIT 5 As part of its efforts to With these software I 8
eGIS software ensure data integrity, was able know the
consistency and security, lines in each area and
improve revenue collection, transformers. In case
reduce illegal connections, there is a fault on a
and optimize network transformer we can
planning, design, module to direct the technicians
perform network analysis. to go and work on it.
27- 07- 17 UNIT 5 Blow and clean the radiator During transformer 8
Transformer and fans of the transformer. operation, the
Maintenance transformer windings
gets hot. The
transformer oil in
which the windings
are immersed expand
due to the great
amount of heat.
During the expansion,
air is pushed out of
the conservator tank
through the breather.
After the oil cools

16 | P a g e
 down, it contracts,
thus sucking in air
through the breather.
But to prevent the
transformer oil from
coming into contact
with moisture, the
breather is fitted with
stacks of silica gel.
These mop up any
moisture in the
atmospheric air before
it gets to the
conservator tank.
28- 07- 17 Attend  At the safety meeting, a Most electrical 8
mandatory lecture was presented on hazards are caused by
weekly Safety what electric hazards are, unsafe equipment and
Meeting what may lead to such installation, unsafe
hazards, and how to environment and
prevent them. unsafe work practices.
Thus these must be
given critical attention
whenever working.

17 | P a g e
Week: 6

Department/ Section: Technical Maintenance (Electrical, Lines, eGIS and Fault Maintenance)

Date Objectives Tasks achieved Lesson learnt Hours

31- 07- 17 UNIT 5 Discuss the work for the Each and everyone 8
Attend day and how best to were known what will
mandatory accomplish them safely be done in the week
safety meeting and on time. and having in mind the
for the safety measures.
technical
department.
When any object such
Patrol and Inspection to check various tree falls on electrical
inspection on electrical faults on each lines it caused cornna
HV/LV lines spans and obstacles that has effect and this can
fallen on the lines. even destroy the
transformer.
1- 08- 17 UNIT 5 Electrical poles hold the lines Spans can be bought 8
Preparing when transmitting power down when electrical
document for from the substation. When poles are rotten.
rotten poles there is a rotten pole, the
lines can touch each other
and that can destroy the
transformer which can even
cause cornna effect.
2- 08- 17  UNIT 5 Going for inspection at Was able learn how to 8
Mass Seikwa to check illegal disconnect meters and
disconnection connections and disconnect help the people how
those who owes the to read the bills. I
government not paying their educate them that
bills using old appliance
result in paying huge
bills.
Again I was able to let
them know, if there is
no earthen in the
house then their bills
will increase.
03- 08- 17 UNIT 5 Blow and clean the radiator During transformer 8
Transformer and fans of the transformer. operation, the
Maintenance transformer windings
gets hot. The
transformer oil in
which the windings
are immersed expand
due to the great
amount of heat.

18 | P a g e
 During the expansion,
air is pushed out of
the conservator tank
through the breather.
After the oil cools
down, it contracts,
thus sucking in air
through the breather.
But to prevent the
transformer oil from
coming into contact
with moisture, the
breather is fitted with
stacks of silica gel.
These mop up any
moisture in the
atmospheric air before
it gets to the
conservator tank.
04- 08- 17 Attend  At the safety meeting, a Most electrical 8
mandatory lecture was presented on hazards are caused by
weekly Safety what electric hazards are, unsafe equipment and
Meeting what may lead to such installation, unsafe
hazards, and how to environment and
prevent them. unsafe work practices.
Thus these must be
given critical attention
whenever working.

Supervisor: Mr. Afranie Daniel

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3.2 Description of workstation

The technical maintenance section comprises of a staff of 14 electrical technicians, a

senior electrical technician and an electrical engineer. The section is headed by the

district supervisor manager. With cooperation from the commercial maintenance section,

the technicians from the technical maintenance section run routine as well as emergency

maintenance on the units. Also any electrical equipment or appliance that is used in the

site is maintained by the technical maintenance section. The section has an office, a store

room and a workshop within which can be found, lockers for storage of personal items.

Upon arrival in the morning, the staff holds a tailboard meeting to discuss the work for

the day and how best to accomplish them safely and on time, while the attachés wait in

the workshop. Upon completion of the tailboard meeting, the tasks for the day would

have been divided into groups and each group assigned a supervisor for the day. The

attachés are also divided into groups and each group assigned to a staff group for the

day’s work. Therefore, upon completion of the tailboard meeting, we go into the office,

to see which group we belong to and who the supervisor is. After that is done, you have

to change into the PPEs which include an overall, a safety boot, a helmet and a pair of

gloves when necessary, then we move out in our respective groups to our respective work

stations.

There is a lunch break at 12:00 pm till 1:00 pm after which we resume to our respective

stations and continue working.

Whiles on the job, we are encouraged to ask questions so as to get clarification on certain

things. There are also times when the supervisor may see it fit to teach us. This ensures

that every attaché receives the best training possible.

20 | P a g e
On every Friday, however, there is a mandatory safety meeting that is attended by all

staff. These meetings seek to educate and remind the staff of why safety should be of

prime concern to everyone and measures that should be taken to stay safe on the job.

The staff also shows great interest in what we are learning, and thus whenever a question

is asked, they go great lengths to help us understand everything clearly.

Similarly the excitation transformer is also opened so that tests can be run on them.

The routine maintenance also involved the preparation of document for rotten poles. Thus

there were many times during routine maintenance that we will go to inspect HV and LV

lines to check if there is a growing object such as trees not to have any effect on the lines

and transformer. I also worked with a team that maintained the battery bank of the plant

which is used for field flashing of the generator and for supplying power to the

emergency lights and relays.

During my attachment period I have had the opportunity to not only learn so much

academically, but also experienced and learned how essential teamwork is on the field. I

say this because, no one under any circumstance is allowed to work alone. Rather all

tasks are assigned on a group basis. For that matter, there is the need for open

communication amongst all.

As a student of renewable energy engineering, I was introduced to electrical power

systems in the first semester of level 300. This course sought to introduce us to the power

generation methods of various energy sources as well as the transmission and distribution

systems of the grid. Protection and control of power systems were also considered. Being

attached at the technical maintenance section of the hydrogenation department not only

21 | P a g e
made me get a better understanding of the various concepts by physically appreciating

them but also I learned many other things that were not covered in the lectures.

The mandatory safety meetings that we also had to attend were ones that always

enlightened and exposed to all of us very common workplace hazards and how to avoid

them. We were also taught what to do in an emergency situation if first aid is to be

administered. The training I have received from these and many other lectures has also

helped me to be safety conscious while working.

22 | P a g e
Chapter 4 - Impact of attachment

Upon arrival at the technical maintenance section, it was evident that all of the staff are

very friendly and approachable, for this reason, it takes no time for one to start

feeling comfortable at the workplace. I thus took the advantage of the situation to

ask many questions while on the job. There were some of the staff who will

periodically quiz us on what we have learned. There were also some staff who

took personal interest in me and were very interested in what I had been able to

learn so far. They thus helped me whenever I did not understand anything.

During my attachment period I was involved in lines maintenance, as well as

rehabilitation maintenance. The lines maintenance involved electrical

maintenance of all the components of a unit. This maintenance has to do with the

electric power transmitting, that is the overhead and underground system. This

gave me the chance to observe and know how to fix bare conductor of copper or

aluminum on strung between wooden or steel poles erected at convenient

distances along a route. The bare copper wire is fixed to an insulator, which is

itself fixed onto a cross-arm on the pole. The number of cross-arms carried by

pole depends on the number of wires it has to carry. Lines supports consist of:

(i) Pole structures and

(ii) towers

Poles that are made of wood, reinforced concrete or steel are used up to 66KV, whereas

steel towers are used for high voltages. The underground system employs

insulated cables, which may be single, double or triple cored.

23 | P a g e
Lines insulation are installed on line supports to support anchor and insulate conductors

from ground. This help in avoiding direct contact of the conductors with poles.

Thus, any leakage through the support to the earth is stopped, and the risk of

electric shock from poles is also minimized. They are made of porcelain, glass

and several synthetic materials.

According to construction, lines insulators are of the following types:

i. Pin insulators

ii. Shackles insulators

iii. Strain insulators

Pin insulators are mounted on the poles with the help of a pin, hence, the name. They

have a groove at their top and the conductor is tied in the groove by a binding wire going

through its neck.

When we are using for higher voltages, the pins insulators have limitation as they

becomes bulky (due to more numbers of petticoats) and also costly. For higher voltages

suspensions are used which have no pins problems.

Shackles insulators are used on low tension (L.T) lines. They are fixed with the poles

through nuts and bolts, with the help of cramp D-strap. They can also be used in

horizontal as well as vertical position.

24 | P a g e
Lastly, the suspension insulators, these insulators are hang down from the cross arm of

poles. Most at times for each 11KV, one suspension insulators or disc is generally, used

and, they can be joined with each other for any working voltage through ball and socket

joints. In case there is a fault, the whole string need not to be replaces; only the faulty

piece is replaced.

I was able to discern that line insulators must be mechanically strong, their dielectric

strength should be high, and they should be free from internal cracks or faults.

I was introduce to know the basic types of faults in electrical system and these include

phase-to-ground and phase-to-phase faults. The phase-to-ground fault means that one or

more conductors makes electrical contact with the ground, or point of zero-volt potential,

such as a line coming in contact with a tree (which, owning to its moisture, will conduct a

current to ground). The phase-to-phase fault means that two different phases come into

direct or indirect contact with each other, for instance, if a bird with large wingspans

touches two conductors simultaneously. As a results faulty is something that needs to be

avoided, not only because it implies a wasteful flow of electric current, but because there

is a risk of fire or electrocution when current flows where it was not intended to go. The

object of circuit protection is to reliably detect a fault when it happens and interrupt the

power flow to it, clearing the fault. The simple protection device that can detect an

overcurrent and interrupt a circuit is the fuse. It consists of thin wire that simply melts

when the current is too high. When there is a fault on the line the fuse need to be remove

before work can be done on the line.

Another way to check fault on a line is to use an instrumental (Galvanometer) to read to

the reading on the line. If the reading is above then there is a fault on the line.

25 | P a g e
Again during my attachment I had the chance to work with the eGIS, this department as

part of its efforts to ensure data integrity, consistency and security, improve revenue

collection, reduce illegal connections, and optimize network planning, design, module to

perform network analysis. I was able to discover that in the near future we can used this

software to analyze what one is using energy for at a particular period of time.

Lastly, the size of the pole depends on the line current and the voltage drops. Electrical

cables are routed overhead on utility poles as an inexpensive way keep it insulated from

the ground and out of the way of people and vehicles. Utility poles can be made of wood,

metals, concrete. The rotten poles have effect on our lines and if care is not taken, it can

easily destroy the transformer. The cause of transformer is expensive, as a result

measures were put in place and also the community alert us when there is a poles that is

taking place to destroy

In future, I would like to use the software to optimize the energy used for all tasks and

this includes checking where transformers have to be placed and the fault on each line. In

that, one can use the required power needed to work on a particular time interval.

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Chapter 5 Conclusion

During the first semester of the fourth year, we will be taking a course in Power Control

and Analysis. It is very much obvious that I go in with a lot more advantage since I

already have a good appreciation of the how this devices works. It is therefore safe to say

that this attachment has really had a great impact on me academically, since not only was

it able to help me understand more clearly already learnt lessons, but has also prepared

me for the semesters to come.

I have also observed that, the energy sector of the country is facing major challenges even

with the introduction of some major IPPs such as Sunon Asogli Power Station and

CENIT Power Station. A renewable energy development programme is one of the most

constructive, cost effective ways to address the challenges of high energy prices, energy

security, air pollution, and global climate change. Hydroelectric power, currently the

largest producer of renewable energy in Ghana has over the years proved to be a reliable

source of power. But then when one considers the fact that the plant can only operate

when the water level is within certain agreeable limits, it is encouraging to learn that the

VRA/ NEDCo is making major strides in other renewable energy sources such as wind

and solar.

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References

1.

Northern Electricity Distribution Company. (2013). NEDCO- Business Plan 2013- 2017. Accra.

2. Volta River Authority,Fifty Third Annual Report & Accounts 2014, Accra, 2014.

3. www.nedco.gh.com.

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