Developing a Synthetic Electric Grid in Africa: A Case Study in Ghana

This paper presents a synthetic power grid test case developed for Ghana, West Africa, that can be used for power systems studies, algorithmic benchmarking, regional research, and educational purposes. Using publicly available data and methods from prior literature, this synthetic grid provides a "realistic but not real" test case. The paper validates the test case and describes possible future extensions. All methods and information sources are documented in the paper. As an illustrative application, the paper analyzes the impacts of five new Ghanaian solar farms on operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.