‘Renewables crucial to improving energy access’
11 December 2019 |
2:59 am
To address growing energy demand in the country, there is a need to adopt an energy mix that bridges gaps in the grid and in rural areas by deploying the use of renewable.
To address growing energy demand in the country, there is a need to adopt an energy mix that bridges gaps in the grid and in rural areas by deploying the use of renewable.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Azuri Technologies, Simon Bransfield Garth, the country’s population growth is rising faster than the energy being generated for consumption, adding that the supply gap needs to be bridged for economic development.
Garth, in a chat with The Guardian, said: “There are lots of challenges for energy everywhere, clearly there are some technological things that need to be addressed with the infrastructure of energy. One of the big challenges is that the population continues to grow in a rapid way, so even if energy is being provided more quickly, actually very often, the population growth is outstripping the rate of growth of energy delivery.
“Solar energy penetration in Nigeria is timing. It is just less than one per cent of households I would say today. If you look at East Africa, it is becoming much larger and there are countries which have more than 10 per cent of households today with solar power and that number is growing quite fast, so we think Nigeria is at the point where there is a huge market that has not been served and the time is now to offer that to individual households within Nigeria”.
With government exploring recapitalisation of distribution companies, Garth said that though there is an investment in the grid, the country needs to look at other ways of doing that as well.
“We are supporting any initiative that enables customers to get access to the energy they previously could not have because energy is the driver of anything else. With energy, you can get e-health, e-education, and improve your agricultural supply chain. There is a whole variety of things you can do and without energy; it is really difficult to make that change. By looking at all these different ways of being able to deliver energy, we are finding ways of enabling people to help them to innovate and really develop their economies at their household levels”, he added.
On the need for Nigeria to embrace adoption, he said: “Historically, Nigeria has been slower to adopt solar power than those in East Africa, but we are seeing now that solar is being used in a big way in Nigeria, replacing bigger systems and devices. So we really think Nigeria is right on the edge of adopting solar power in a very big way.
“By adopting solar energy systems, you can waste energy and it sounds weird; but you can afford to waste energy because it has got no impact on the environment and it has got no cost to you. What this means is that people get the maximum benefit they possibly can from their energy where previously, they might have conserved it so that they can then use it to its fullest extent”.
To increase penetration and affordability, Garth explained that Azuri developed a range of products for different types of customers, saying, “at the entry-level, we have products with lights for mobile phone charging and we rolled that product out to 20,000 households in the northern part of Nigeria in 2017. We also have products which include lightings and a fan and we have products which have all of that and a television. So, there are different levels of products depending on the particular requirement of the household”.
Related
Latest
6 mins ago
The federal government has said 33 electronic passport gates (e-gates) will be installed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Lagos, and the three other international airports to secure the nation's borders. Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known while inspecting the final stages of installation of the gates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe…
15 mins ago
Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) have commenced an investigation of 11 suspected oil thieves and one vessel, MT SAISNIL II, handed over to the Commission by the Nigerian Navy, NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos. The suspects are Jimoh Olusola, Akinrodoye Tobias, Idolor Ogun, Blessed Udoh Michael, Fineface…
20 mins ago
The New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), on Saturday, called on the Federal Government to seriously consider an overhaul of the security architecture in Plateau State to stem the tide of recurring killings in the state. The party made the appeal following the reported fresh attacks in communities in Mangu and Bokkos local government areas of…
23 mins ago
The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), says it paid a total sum of N 1.1 billion as students and supervisory allowance, under the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) in 2023.
33 mins ago
Finding love for so many people may be proving difficult but dating apps are providing a platform. Dating apps are playing major roles in connecting people in this digital age beyond expectations, especially in Nigeria. This is evident according to Google research of 2023, ranking Nigeria number one as the country who have searched for…
52 mins ago
Cross River on Saturday dismissed as untrue a survey report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that it had the highest incidence of child labour in the country.
1 hour ago
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed optimism that the Naira would continue to appreciate against dollar at the forex market.
1 hour ago
The Navy has decried the magnitude of economic loss due to acts of illegal oil bunkering and vandalism of oil pipelines along the riverine communities of Nigeria.
2 hours ago
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez praised rivals Real Madrid ahead of their Clasico showdown in La Liga on Sunday.
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.