Nigeria Content Online

As at today,
Nigerians spend millions of dollars on importation of solar panels and
solar cells. This is because of growing acceptability of solar energy
as an alternative and efficient source of energy. Nigeria is still in
the throes of inadequate power supply problem, which has been a major
bottleneck to industrial development in the country. Small and medium
scale enterprises are being crippled, even as power supply for domestic
consumption is near-absent.

The National Agency
for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, is therefore set to
blaze a trail in the local manufacture of solar panels. Before the end
of 2010, the agency promised that there will be locally produced solar
panels in commercial quantities in Nigeria.

Ready to take off

Olusegun Adewoye,
the Director General of NASENI, said in an interview that the
infrastructure required for the take-off of the project is in place.

“So far the agency
has a building in Karshi, Federal Capital Territory, which we have
refurbished for this purpose,” Mr. Adewoye revealed.

“All the equipment
for this has arrived. We imported solar cells from China. Everything
that is supposed to be done is in place: equipment, cells, training
people, and the building. We are waiting for Chinese suppliers of the
equipment to come and install them and after that, they will start.”

He said the plan is
to produce 1000 panels initially. “The idea is to showcase that this
technology can work and that it is profitable. After this, we will have
what is called an investment forum at the plant site,” adding that when
they produce up to 3000 panels for people to see that these things
work, then they will start to sell it.

“We are hoping
that government, represented by NASENI, will not hold more than 25
percent share of this plant. The rest will go to the private sector.
The Chinese are interested. They have offered to buy up to 60 percent
equity in this plant. In order words, it will be private sector driven.
We hope that, in few years time, this plant will start giving money to
government.”

On the take time for the power plant, he said, “If it doesn’t take place by the end of June (2010), I will be surprised.

“It is solar panel,
and whatever solar panels can do anywhere this will do the same thing.
In this room (his office) there are two kinds of power (sources). One
is from my generator, the other is from my solar panel out there. The
light from the solar panel is full and bright and can carry every
electrical appliance.

The only thing is that the solar panel system can last for 20 years, as long as the sun shines and there is light.”

He said that having
seen this work with imported solar panels in most of their institutes,
they are to start producing panels and “we will use locally made panels
to generate electricity in this country” and queried why it has become
impossible to have police telephone on the highways, which will be
powered by solar panel, adding that the Agency will propose to the
police, work with them to have telephones power generation panels. It
can also be used in powering street lights, traffic lights, etc.

Large market for solar panels in Africa

The solar power
plant is going to be the first in Africa. “The one in Kenya is owned by
the Britons and we can never produce enough for the Nigerian market.
There is a huge market for solar energy all over the world and the
demand is rising.

“It will be a
profitable business and by the third year you would have recouped your
investment. When it eventually becomes operational, we will invite the
private sector and give them a workable document, which is our business
plan, so they can subscribe to it. Then a company will be set up as a
subsidiary of NASENI, but run on public private partnership basis. It
will have its own Managing Director, who will be paid industry wages
and its own staff. They will be expected to turn profit to us. The
company would later be quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The
company will be called NASEMCO Solar. The first leg is what we are
doing now: do a 7.5mega watt plant, next one do a 20 megawatt plant in
the same company.

The next is actually producing solar cells locally.”

However, the
Director General also warned that solar energy is not the cheapest
option, but that the bulk manufacturing of energy is either from water
or from gas or nuclear, and that no society can get away with without
utilising any or all of these sources.

He said solar
remains an alternative, but very useful in off grid areas like riverine
areas, deserts, and rural areas. “It is additional in most societies
and it is not meant to supplant the usual sources of energy,” Mr.
Adewoye added.

Goodbye to power problems

“Currently, 29 out
36 states use solar panels to run their states; at least we got to know
this in our pre-investment study. The market is inexhaustible. These
1000 units is nothing. They will buy them up in no time. So this area
is a growth area that can compete with the IT and telecoms.

“But this plant we are building is to demonstrate that it is
possible to work on it and get profit in using it. It costs money to
own it; that is why in most countries, government subsidises it for the
citizens. Once you get one, you bid power problems good bye for about
20 years. In most cases, you don’t need more than an hour of sunshine a
day in order to charge the batteries properly because the thing goes
from generating voltage to storing them in accumulators. This is a very
good source of power for the Niger Delta area where you find it
difficult to erect PHCN poles and in the deserts.”