Nigerians invest billions on solar energy as power outages linger
by bintu jidda kanempress
20th july, 2023
Despite huge budgetary allocations to the power sector from one administration to another,
Nigerians have continued to spend billions of naira, on installation of solar-powered energy as they battle perennial epileptic power supply by distribution companies.
Many Nigerians have now resorted to using solar energy.
To survive the ordeal, Nigerians have now found solar energy as an alternative.
A resident of Ogbomoso, Mr Felix Okunade said: “It is no longer news that we experience poor supply of electricity in Oyo state.
“You can’t rely on it, they will definitely disappoint. Even though we recharge prepaid metres, it still seems useless, there is darkness everywhere.”
“Up till now, there are no regrets. Solar power system is not better than hydro energy so to speak. This is because of cost implications and non-availability of sunlight overnight. The system is also limited by the capacity of batteries and the number of solar panels,” he said.
A solar energy installer, Mr. Biodun Adebayo, said that solar energy is increasingly adopted in Nigeria due to a number of reasons.
“Solar energy is being increasingly adopted in Nigeria due to several compelling reasons. Nigeria is blessed with a high level of solar radiation, especially in the northern region. This means that there is an ample amount of sunlight available throughout the year, making solar energy a viable and reliable source of power, “ Adebayo said.
“So, solar energy offers a decentralised solution, allowing individuals and communities to generate their own power independently.
“Considering Nigeria’s population of over 200 million people and the increasing interest in solar energy in recent years, let’s assume a conservative average spending of $5,000 per residential solar energy system. This estimate includes the cost of solar panels, inverters, batteries (if applicable), installation, and associated components.
“If we assume that a small percentage of Nigerian households, say 1%, have installed solar energy systems, the calculation would be as follows: 1% of Nigerian households = 0.01 * 200 million = 2 million households. Estimated spending: $5,000 per 2 million households. Estimated spending is = $10 billion.”
Successive administrations in Nigeria have taken steps to tackle the challenges in the power sector to ensure stable electricity from the fourth republic in 1999- Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007), Umar Musa Yar’Adua (2007-2010) Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015) and then to Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2023).
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project , SERAP, had in 2017 revealed that about N11 trillion meant for the provision of electricity supply was allegedly squandered by the Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan administrations.
Of all policies and reforms initiated to tackle the problem was the privatisation of power sector in 2013.
Regional electricity distribution companies formally owned and controlled by the government were sold to private individuals.
The regional electricity distribution companies are Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC), Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, among others.
Asides these efforts, Nigerians have continued to suffer due to epileptic power supply, attributed to inefficiency by regional electricity distribution companies.
