With persistent grid collapse and erratic electrical energy provide, specialists have described as sacrosanct for companies within the nation, the deployment of renewable by means of off-grid options.
A brand new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and All-On, a Shell-funded influence funding firm, which analysed photo voltaic power implementation on Well being, Training and Meals Safety outcomes in addition to its impact on the Atmosphere and Industrial Exercise within the nation, pressured on the numerous alternatives for photo voltaic in Nigeria.
In keeping with the report, deploying photo voltaic to round 15 to twenty million MSMEs in markets with out dependable grid electrical energy might enhance earnings at these firms by $7 billion to $10 billion. That’s about 40 per cent of yearly MSMEs earnings within the nation.
The report rated Nigeria’s photo voltaic off-grid market as one of many quickest rising in Africa, growing at a 22 per cent common yearly fee in the course of the previous 5 years.
Regretting, nonetheless, that the event underperformed its friends in Africa in penetration of off-grid photo voltaic, specialists on the firms insisted that Nigeria has a protracted solution to go earlier than its photo voltaic market may very well be thought-about strong.
“Nigeria’s put in photovoltaic (PV) panel per capita quantities to solely about one watt in comparison with a median of eight watts in comparable rising markets, indicating a giant alternative for additional progress within the nation. Given the dynamics favouring photo voltaic deployment within the nation, Nigeria’s PV per capita might attain 5 – eight GW by 2030,” the group stated.
The report famous that Nigerian Major Well being Centres (PHCs) with photo voltaic electrical energy witnessed a 60 to 70 per cent enchancment in antenatal care protection and a 40 to 60 % discount in vaccine waste.
It added that at Nigerian public boarding secondary faculties which have put in photo voltaic gear, college students’ examine hours elevated by over 200 % and the variety of Info and Communications Know-how (ICT) instructing hours rose by 30 per cent. Additionally, the examine confirmed that farmers that adopted solar-powered chilly storage diminished postharvest loss (PHL) for perishable items by as much as 30 %.
The examine revealed that round 500,000 Nigerian households (1.25 per cent of complete households) use photo voltaic power, which has resulted in upwards of 160,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions being prevented.
In markets which were powered by photo voltaic panels in Nigeria, the examine acknowledged that there was a 20 to 40 per cent enhance in working hours of MSMEs and that they prevented the substantial stock and gross sales losses ensuing from fires brought on by mills.
Managing Director and Associate, BCG (West Africa), and Head of BCG Nigeria, Tolu Oyekan, famous within the report that putting in photo voltaic in 18,000 PHCs that don’t in any other case have entry to dependable energy might enhance antenatal care protection from present ranges of fifty to 70 % of pregnant ladies and with improved refrigeration vaccine wastage could be diminished by as a lot as 20 %.
He additionally projected that offering photo voltaic to about 1,200 public boarding faculties would enhance common pupil examine hours throughout the nation from about 8 hours to 18 hours per week and enhance ICT instructing hours by as a lot as 60 %.
Oyekan added, “Based mostly on present solar-powered chilly storage adoption knowledge, by electrifying 600,000 Nigerian farmers who at the moment don’t have chilly storage amenities PHL may very well be slashed by as a lot as 60 %, producing sufficient extra meals to feed 6.5 million individuals yearly.
“Assuming photo voltaic penetration amongst households in Nigeria reaches peer nation common of about 30 % by 2030, a further 5 million tonnes of CO2 will be prevented as emissions from households could be diminished by almost 30 %.”