A Ghanaian, Mr Freddie Green, has invented a power-generating equipment that produces electricity using compressed air.

Mr Green, a member of the British Institute of Patentees and Inventors, told the Daily Graphic that his new invention would not only provide energy for all domestic appliances but also provide "a clean, uninterrupted and cheap power source for hospitals and schools, especially in developing economies where supplies are sometimes non-existent or regularly interrupted by grid output deficiencies and cost factors".

"I have not released it to anybody or company. I want the government’s collaboration so that together we can show to the world that Ghana has taken the first step in addressing or reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
 
It will also help address our energy crisis if more effort is put into it. It can be licensed in other countries and earn foreign exchange for us," he stated.

The inventor, a former Aircraft Engineer with the Ghana Air Force, has made other notable inventions and was nominated for the Black Inventors Award in 1988 and the Toshiba Year of Invention Award in 1989.

He explained that his device could generate energy at a cheaper cost to meet domestic energy requirements such as energy source for cooking and lighting and powering air conditioners and computers..

He said his system was also capable of powering cars, boats and light aircraft, thereby eliminating the use of burning fuel.

"With the conventional electric cars, batteries must be recharged at approximately 25 to 30 miles while this system does not need any battery recharging," he explained.

According to Mr Green, his invention unlike wind power did not require the mounting of series of high poles with propellers on a vast land to generate power, adding that the compressed air energy was environmentally friendly and would help address the issue of the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

He said although he invented the compressed air energy generating system in 1994, he had been working on it since and finally produced the prototype in November, last year.

According to him, despite the fact that attempts to solicit support from the government in 2001 were unsuccessful, he was still ready to collaborate with the government to develop the product in order to help address the country’s energy needs.

He said when the NPP government assumed office in 2001, he wrote soliciting support from the government for the project.
 
"The government wrote back to me that they had sent a power point presentation of my work to the Energy Ministry for them to study it. Six weeks later I received the same letter."

Mr Green presently has two companies, Green Inventions and Green Innovations, for the invention and marketing of his products. One of his inventions, Plug Rack, is presently commercially produced and sold in South Africa under licence.

He said there had been discussions with South Akim Manufacturing Company and the Cape Coast Technical Institute to produce some of his inventions locally on commercial basis.

"Presently, the plug rack I invented is being produced commercially in Cape Town, South Africa, but I am closing down that operation to set up in Ghana," he stated.

Mr Green called on the government to provide the necessary support to enable inventors like him to come out with products that would help improve the lives of the people.

The country agent of Green Innovations and Green Inventions, Mr George Otoo, extolled the potential of the products and called on the government to devote more resources to develop such initiative and inventions.