Oriental, NBET partner on 50MW solar power project in Jigawa

Oriental Renewable Solutions (Oriental), an Oriental Group company, has signed a 20-year, Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Nigerian Bulk Energy Trader (NBET) for the company’s 50MW solar power project in Jigawa State, The Guardian reports.

The agreement forms part of a wider NBET process to sign up PPAs to deliver 1.2GW of additional generation capacity to the Nigerian grid through a total of 12 solar power projects spread across Nigeria. Oriental Renewable Solutions was established to deliver on the potential that renewable energy offers Nigeria to address a long-term power deficit that continues to hold back economic growth.

The Jigawa project marks the first project in a broader strategy to establish a significant footprint in Nigeria’s fast emerging solar power generation segment. The project is expected to be completed between 18 and 24 months of financial close.

ROTATING SOLAR POWER TREE TO CATCH MAXIMUM SUN

A 'solar power tree' that takes up only four square feet of space and generates enough power to run about five households is being upgraded to include a rotating motor to help it align with changing sunlight, its designer said on Tuesday.

Developed by CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) in West Bengal, under the leadership of scientist Sibnath Maity, it resembles a tree with branches at different tiers and could be used on rooftops and highways.

It helps harness maximum solar energy in minimum space.

"It uses four square feet of land to produce 5KW of power. We are now improving the design and incorporating a motor which would be aligned with a timer so that the tree can move from east to west depending on the sunlight. This way it can absorb maximum solar energy," Maity told IANS.

The tree was recently launched by Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan.

"The branches hold up the 30 photovoltaic panels and the system costs around Rs 5 lakh with battery back-up. Because the solar panels are higher up, it can get one hour more sunlight," Maity said.

The technology has been licensed to a Kolkata-based company and more companies as well as individuals have requested for installations, he said.

FG looks to small hydro power plants to generate electricity in rural areas

The minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has inaugurated a committee to brainstorm on how to generate electricity from eight small hydro plants in Nigeria, Daily Trustreports.

The plants selected include Tiga, Challawa dams in Kano State, Omi-Kampe in Kogi, and Jibiya zone dams in Katsina State. Others are Bakalori in Zamfara, Doma in Nasarawa and Ikere Gorge in Oyo State. The committee which has 45 days to submit its report is to look into procurement procedures for civil and mechanical engineering works and what needs to be done to quickly complete the projects.

Membership of the inter-agency committee is drawn from the ministries of Mineral Resources, Petroleum, Water Resources, Environment, Agriculture, Bureau of Public Enterprises, (BPE), and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

Planned Solar Roadway in France Will Cover 600 Miles With Photovoltaic Panels

Missouri’s plan to pave a section of Route 66 with solar panels doesn’t hold a candle to France’s ambitious initiative to cover 1,000 kilometers of road with solar-pavers—generating enough electricity to meet the energy needs of roughly 8 percent of the country’s inhabitants.

The photovoltaic pavers were developed by Colas, a French infrastructure company that spent five years building and testing their Wattway solar road panels. Each rectangular section is just 7 millimeters thick. Glued directly to the roadway, the pavers are supposed to be strong enough to support the weight of a continuous stream of traffic, including 6-axle trucks.

A 14-foot section of the solar roadway is projected to generate enough electricity for a single French household. A kilometer (0.62 miles) of the road should generate enough for a community of 5,000 people.

France’s minister of ecology and energy, Ségolène Royal, has said the first Wattway panels will be installed this year. The full 600-plus miles of paneled roads are slated for completion by 2021. The cost will be covered by progressive tax increases on fossil fuels, expected to generate roughly $440 million for Royal’s green energy initiatives.

FG considering development of clean coal plants

Following the epileptic power supply to many Nigerian homes, the Federal Government as part of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Action Agenda for Nigeria, is considering the establishment of clean coal plants to increase power generation in the country, The Guardian reports.

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who spoke at the opening of a two-day national technical validation workshop on the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) action agenda organized by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Abuja, recently, said the ministry has embarked on research to ensure the new coal plants are environment-friendly.

UNDP Head, Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr. Muyiwa Odele, who represented the Country Director, noted that SE4ALL initiative would go a long way to complement the government’s efforts at increasing Nigeria’s access to electricity and other modern energy services for economic growth, particularly now when the country is experiencing energy challenges, which has led to many individuals and corporate bodies having to depend on the use of privately owned generators to meet their electricity needs.

Portable smartflower POP solar system produces 40% more energy

Combining smart technology and clean energy generators is easily the next biggest trend in the renewable energy industry, and the developers of smartflower POP are ahead of the curve. Since its emergence in 2010, the clever solar power system has honed in on what private homeowners want from a sustainable energy source, and the latest version now promises 40 percent more energy output thanks to its ability to track the sun as well as clean and cool itself. Its creators hail it as the “world’s first all-in-one” solar power system, and they think it could take the industry by storm.
      
The system consists of petal-shaped solar panels which automatically fan out each morning to create a flower-like array. To ensure efficiency, smartflower POP cleans its 18 square meters of solar cells each day at sunrise and then positions itself to face the sun so it can immediately begin generating energy. Throughout the day, the smart solar power system tracks the sun’s position on a dual axis so that the solar panels are always at an optimum angle for capturing solar energy.

In addition to all of smartflower POP’s unique abilities, the system also comes in a variety of fashionable colors and is completely portable, making it easy to move from one home to the next when its owners relocate. Although the system does a lot of ‘thinking’ for itself, the company is quick to point out that this smart solar energy generator actually gives homeowners a lot of power, and not just the kind that runs their electronics. “For the first time, multiple intelligent solar features operate in one sophisticated product,” said Alexander Swatek, smartflower POP’s founder and managing partner. “It’s easy to use, takes only an hour to install, and owners can monitor their energy accumulation, usage, and direct it where they want it. They have full control.”

Sterling and Wilson eyes 250 MW solar projects in Nigeria

To expand its presence in the African market, Engineering Procurement Company (EPC) Sterling & Wilson is aiming to develop nearly 250 MW projects in Nigeria over the next 2-3 years, Times of India reports.

“Sterling & Wilson is largely present in the African market apart from the Middle East, South East Asia and Latin America. The company now expects to further expand its footprint and construct nearly 250 MW capacity solar power projects in Nigeria in the next 2-3 years,” Bikesh Ogra, President, Solar business, Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd said recently.

The company is eyeing projects, which are being developed by international solar project developers, who have recently signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. under the feed-in-tariff program by the power ministry of Nigeria. “With the recently announced PPAs of 975 MW, we see a huge solar potential opening up in Nigeria. We are well positioned to support growth in the solar market in Nigeria through our presence and experience,” he added.

Apple Looks Into Selling Green Energy Direct To Consumers

Apple has formed an energy subsidiary to sell its excess solar energy, according to reports from 9to5Mac and The Verge on Friday. Apple Energy LLC will sell power from solar plants in Cupertino, Calif. and Nevada on wholesale markets across the country.

The compnay has filed a request to sell power with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which could help recoup costs. 9to5Mac states that Apple has requested permission to sell electricity to end-users, meaning that it can sell at market rates instead of the wholesale rates utility companies usually get from private companies in an energy agreement.

At present, Apple uses most of the energy from its solar farms in data centers. They plan to solar projects totaling 521 megawatts of power after March 2016, all but 162 megawatts of which will be wholly owned by Apple.According to a 2016 environmental responsibility report, Apple avoided 335,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions due to using renewable energy in corporate facilities. The company claims that it can use clean energy for 93 percent of the total energy usage in data centers, corporate offices, and retail stores. Apple isn't running 100 percent on renewable energy across the board (although they are in 23 countries, including the United States). Apple has also invested in hydroelectric, biogas, and geothermal power. Apple could make an entire business segment related to selling solar; it would be a significant but not impossible departure from their $233 billion technology business. And if Apple ever comes out with the electric car they’re rumored to be working on, they might have the underpinnings of a charging system already in place.

Eight power plants left idle as output falls to 2,984.3mw

Eight power plants have been shut down as at yesterday due to the inability to transport gas to them, a situation often blamed on the activities of militants who repeatedly bomb pipelines, The Guardian reports.

For instance, Geregu Power Plant, Alaoji; National Integrated Power Project (NIPP); Olorunsogo NIPP; Ihovbor NIPP; Trans Amadi, Rivers; and Gbarain are idle and not generating even a kilowatt just as output dropped from the 336mw capacity of Omotosho Power Plant to 76mw. Those operating at full capacity however, are Jebba, Shiroro and Kainji hydro plants.

A national daily generation report has revealed that the country is recording a severe shortfall of 4,627.03 mega watts due to gas constraints which has brought down the country’s electricity generation from the highest peak output ever attained to 2,984.3mw as at yesterday. This is far less than the country’s installed capacity of 11,165.40mw and available capacity of 7,139.60mw.

This $6-A-Month Plan Brings Solar Power To People Living Off The Grid

People talk about a flash of inspiration. But Xavier Helgesen's eureka moment came in the dark.

A few years ago, the American entrepreneur was traveling through Malawi to meet with clients for his book-selling company, Better World Books. He stopped in Monkey Bay, a town of about 30,000 people, to spend the night. What made this place unforgettable, he says, was that it was "100 percent off-grid."

The streets were pitch black. People carried kerosene lamps to walk around at night. When a family invited him to dinner, they all huddled under one dim light. "It was amazing," he says, "to see that was how everyone lived."

And that's when Helgesen, 38, who was just starting to learn about solar energy, had his bright idea: "If anybody needed solar power," he says, "it was the people living off the electricity grid."

Helgesen harnessed that idea, and today, is the head of Off-Grid Electric, a for-profit solar energy company that provides affordable electricity service for people in Africa who are off the grid. He started Off-Grid in 2012 with Erica Mackey, a classmate at the University of Oxford's business school. Off-Grid has reached more than 100,000 households and hired 800 of its 1,000 workers in Tanzania. This year, it's expanding to Rwanda. The goal to reach 1 million homes in Africa by 2017.

In countries like Tanzania, citizens who lack power may have to wait years for the government to build up the grid and plug them in. And they'll pay for the privilege.

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Panels on the roof are part of the Off-Grid's solar energy kit.

Mathieu Young/Courtesy of Off-Grid Electric

By contrast, Off-Grid's customers can power up their homes for as little as $6 a month. When someone signs up for a system, there's a $6 fee for Off-Grid to install solar panels and a meter to monitor their energy usage, along with LED lights, a radio and a phone charger that all work off the solar charge. It only takes a few hours. Then customers pay about $6 a month to access the power they need — about what they'd be paying for kerosene for home energy.

USAID is a big fan. Citing the group's "tremendous progress providing access to clean and reliable light and electricity," USAID launched a $36 million joint Power Africa and U.S. Global Development Lab effort this week. The money will be used to fund projects like Off-Grid's to 20 million households across sub-Saharan Africa.

The company itself has grown rapidly in the past year. Off-Grid has been a favorite for funders, securing $45 million from stakeholders in December 2015 to expand the company. And in January, it won the Zayed Future Energy Prize for its creative, "massively scalable" business model.

Lily Odarno, an energy associate at the nonprofit group World Resources Institute, says the key to Off-Grid's success has been good timing and creativity.

"There's a unique opportunity right now in Tanzania. You have a conflation of a number of important factors: A largely rural population with a low electricity rate, the availability of solar technology, which has improved over time, and technologies to ensure people can pay for their services," she says.

"Off-Grid Electric tapped into their innovative approaches to reach people without electricity who live in rural areas," she adds.

So how did they do it? Goats and Soda interviewed Helgesen this week to find out.

Talk about appliances, not watts

So Off-Grid asks their customers which appliances they want to power up — then designs a package based on their specific needs. If they need to buy certain devices as well, like lights or a radio, Off-Grid can add those to the package, too.Some solar companies tell potential customers, you'll be purchasing, say, 80 watts for your home. But it's confusing to sell electricity when you talk in watts, says Helgesen. Instead, Off-Grid reps talk about how many appliances in your home you can power. "We have gone to a lot of homes that surprisingly have electrical appliances that they got for wedding gifts, but no electricity," he says.

Find out what people really want

For many of Off-Grid's clients, their No. 1 wish is for electricity to run a phone charger. When Helgesen realized that most of his potential customers have cellphones but need to go to a charging station to power up, he decided to include a USB cellphone charger in the entry-level package.

"Phone charging is a crucial application," he says. "People can get by without lights, but not being able to charge your phone — there's no substitute for that."

Pay as you go

Customers might be intimidated by the idea of a monthly bill for 24/7 electricity, so Off-Grid customers pay for power as they use it, relying on mobile payment apps likeM-Pesa. "Just like prepaid mobile throughout Africa and India, our customers pay us daily for the use of their solar system," says Helgesen.

Your customers will let you know when you get it wrong

One thing Off-Grid tried that tanked? Getting fishermen in Lake Victoria to switch from using kerosene lamps to solar-powered lights at night. The fishermen use the lamps to attract fish to the surface of the water to catch them. "We failed," he says. "Kerosene is very warm light — which is what fish are attracted to — and solar is cold light. The fishermen were not impressed."

Keep in mind: The customer is always right

The team saw that many villagers displayed their new solar-powered light fixtures on their porch, leaving the inside of their homes dark. It was because they wanted others in the community to know they had electricity — a local status symbol.

Instead of trying to convince them to keep the lights inside, the company came up with a light to meet this need: "We designed a custom fluorescent tube light — seen as very modern and functional in this part of the world — and made it three times as bright as the indoor light," says Helgesen. "It's meant to be used outside the home." These lights can be purchased and included in a customer's energy package.

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A solar-powered cellphone charger is part of a new program called "Kazi na Zola," which provides devices that can help small businesses — say, a barbershop — earn more revenue.

David Wilfred/Courtesy of Off-Grid Electric

Keep innovating

This week, Off-Grid announced a new program called "Kazi na Zola," a collection of solar appliances like phone charging strips, entertainment systems and hair clippers designed to help rural entrepreneurs generate income. "We give them a simple business plan," says Helgesen, to run a phone-charging shop, barbershop, bar or restaurant. "We tell them: Here's how many haircuts you'd have to do a day, phones you'd have to charge a day to pay for your system. Anything above that — that's your profit."

Nigeria to achieve 30% capacity in renewable energy by 2030 – Fashola

The Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja signed Front-Runner Solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) worth 1.75 billion dollars with 14 companies to build 1.125 Megawatts (MW) capacity of renewable power in the country, leading the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola to declare that before the year 2030, Nigeria would have achieved 30% capacity in renewable energy.

According to Leadership, Fashola who signed the documents on behalf of government, said the agreement was to demonstrate government’s commitment to diversify Nigeria’s power industry. According to Fashola, the PPAs are the heart and soul of financing the power industry. He disclosed that before the year 2030, Nigeria would have achieved 30% capacity in renewable energy, adding that Nigeria would invest in other renewable energy areas such as biomass and coal.

He explained that the era had gone when the country would depend on one source to generate its electricity. He added that Nigeria sited many of its solar energy projects in the northern part of the country because the area had more sun radiation than other parts. He assured the investors that the Federal Government would provide them with a good investment climate but would not tolerate low standards in the quality of their projects.

FG moves to begin exploitation of uranium for nuclear power use

The Federal Government has commenced moves to generate electricity from nuclear materials, particularly through the exploration, exploitation and utilisation of uranium, The Punch reports.

To achieve this, the government invited experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct a week long training for nuclear practitioners and security officers in the country on the extraction, exploitation and utilisation of the substance. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the National Training Course on Nuclear Security for the Uranium Extraction Industry in Abuja, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, stated that it was important for Nigeria to exploit available resources in order to meet its power needs.

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Prof. Lawrence Dim, told journalists that the latest training would expose participants on how to improve uranium for power generation, as the country does not have the required technology to do that at the moment, adding that there were no safety concerns for Nigerians to be worried about. The Senior Nuclear Security Officer, IAEA, Mr Robert Larsen, also stated that the exploration of uranium in Nigeria does not pose any threat to global security.

NBET, firm sign PPA for 80mw solar power plant in Jigawa

Nova Scotia Power Development Limited (NSPDL), has initiated a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) for the development of one of the first solar photovoltaic plants in Nigeria. It is to be located in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, Leadershipreports.

The 80 MW power plant, described by stakeholders as a major milestone in Nigeria’s bid to emerge a giant in solar power, is expected to generate an estimated 200,000 MWh of clean, renewable energy per year, enough electricity to power over 200,000 Nigerian households.

The Nova Scotia Power project has been developed by CDIL, a Canadian renewable energy development company focused on Africa, and Business Process Solutions Consult Limited (BPS), a Nigerian strategic consulting firm. NSPDL plans to begin construction in 2017 with operations beginning a year later.

A case for sustainable energy exchange for West Africa

The absence of efficient power exchange in West Africa, experts say combats efforts to reduce the energy poverty that sees over 600 million people go to bed every night without power in sub-Saharan Africa.

The West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) is always cited as the sub continent’s closest dream to an energy exchange but even that arrangement suffers poor policy framework and full implementation has not taken off due to teething challenges mostly ineffectual transmission lines and distribution network.

Callixte Kambanda, chief infrastructure specialist at The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa states that the updated WAPP 2011 Master Plan foresees a number of projects that will help achieve the adequate energy trade (which includes a renewable energy proportion of 10 percent) by 2020 but the power trade in WAPP is still under bilateral or multilateral agreements and energy trade through WAPP has not yet started.

However the reverse is the case in Europe where there are more than twenty different energy exchanges. The most liquid exchanges are the European Energy Exchange (EEX) in Leipzig, Germany and Nord Pool Spot/Nasdeq Omx Commodities in Oslo, Norway.

Europe’s energy markets are so developed that within an energy exchange are the spot market, for short-term trading and the forward market, where the physical delivery of electricity or gas takes place at a future date.

The significance of energy trading has grown rapidly in Europe as a result of increased energy consumption as well as market integration. This is driven basically because countries in the region as it is true of others are aware they cannot cover its energy needs from its own sources today. Energy trading offers the possibility to ensure the needed supply of energy and protects from supply shortages and price fluctuations.

A recent KPMG report on sub-Saharan power outlook for 2016 states that the only available means of energy trade in sub-Saharan Africa is through regional power pools utilising bilateral trade agreements between countries. It observed that there are currently four Power Pools, namely the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), West African Power Pool (WAPP), Central African Power Pool (CAPP) and the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP).

“These are all in various stages of development with the Southern African Power Pool being the most advanced. The main challenges in setting up the Power Pools to a level of efficient operation include conflicting national policies and a need for significant transmission infrastructure investment in order to exchange power over borders. Currently, only minimal trading is done through the Power Pools, with less than 1 percent power traded in CAPP and EAPP and approximately 7 percent traded in SAPP and WAPP,” states the KPMG report.

Towards a sustainable energy exchange – the European model

A study of the operations of energy exchanges in Europe indicate that national policies were aligned through the structure of the European Union and the concept of open markets. Also significant transmission infrastructure investment was attracted through innovative project financing schemes and a competitive free market.

Swedish-owned Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest generators of electricity clarifies the operation of the energy exchange stressing that the hub of the electricity market and the market price for electricity is determined on the power exchange spot market. Players on the spot market are producers, retailers and traders as well as large end users, mostly industrial customers.

Most of the producers sell their electricity on the spot market, where short-term trade in electrical power is done through day-ahead auctions. During the trading process, electricity producers who want to sell power to the spot market must send their sale offers for the amount of electricity they are prepared to deliver at various prices during the 24 hours of the following day to the power exchange by 12 noon on the day before the power is delivered to the grid.

Electricity retailers must send their purchase orders (corresponding to the amount of electricity they believe customers will consume during the 24 hours of the following day), and the amount they are willing to pay. The market price is then used by electricity retail companies to set the price of electricity for end consumers (the “electricity retail price”).

The market price may vary somewhat between different market regions, depending on physical transmission limitations that sometimes occur and the generation mix within each region.

The market price is determined by supply and demand, corresponding to the marginal cost of the last production unit that is required to meet demand in each hour. In Europe, this is normally on at par with the cost of producing electricity with coal or natural gas.

Unlike most other commodities, electricity cannot be stored. It is produced at the exact moment of demand. Therefore all the factors that influence supply and demand have an immediate impact on the price on the spot market.

It states that some factors that influence the price of electricity include fuel prices – for coal, gas, biomass and oil – and the prices for CO2emission certificates. Wind and weather, also play a role as they determine how much electricity is generated by wind turbines and hydroelectric stations and the weather also influences consumer behaviour.

Other factors include the capacities of power plants, their current technical condition and planned overhauls or unplanned outages, the state of the general economy influences demand. Also holidays are factored in the arrangement.

Electricity Pricing for the end user is composed where household or business is comprised of three part – price for power production, grid price, taxes and fees (renewable energy surcharge, energy tax, VAT, etc).

NNPC to set up ethanol powered plant in Benue

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says plans are underway to set up an energy renewable plant that will use agro products to generate energy, Leadership reports.

Its Group General Manager in charge of Renewable Energy Division, Mr Rabiu Suleiman, stated this on Tuesday in Makurdi during a courtesy call on Gov. Samuel Ortom at the Government House. Suleiman said the project, which would cost about 300 million dollars, would be financed through joint partnership with foreign partners.

He said the corporation had already secured technical partners that were ready to support the project. He commended the Benue Government for providing 20,000 hectares of land for the projects’ take-off and assured that the land would form part of its equity share of the plant. He said the land would be used for the cultivation of sugarcane, cassava, palm kernel for the extraction of ethanol as a renewable energy source.

Solar Powered Smart Flowers Are New Focus for Cape Wind Champion Jim Gordon

An innovative solar plus storage solution that was launched in Europe about 2.5 years ago is coming to the U.S. The product is called “SmartFlower” and it looks like a gigantic sunflower with a short, fat stalk. The company said it has sold about 1000 units into 20 different European countries since launch.

The SmartFlower wakes up at sunrise, fans out its solar panels to 194 ft² and automatically cleans itself in preparation for capturing the sun’s rays. SmartFlower then turns to face the sun at a 90°angle, and follows the sun throughout the day using dual-axis tracking to maximize solar energy yield. One SmartFlower produces the equivalent of a 4 kW rooftop system, according to the company.

Energy harvested during the day is stored in the lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP) batteries and managed through a “smart” energy management system that helps the homeowner decide when to use power from grid, the battery or the solar panels. The company is working on more smart features that that, for example, might enable the system to decide what to do if there is too much power — perhaps suggesting the homeowner turn on the air conditioner or the pool pump.

Founder and managing partner Alexander Swatek explained that the panels are high-efficient monocrystalline cells and are also produced in Austria (as is the rest of the product).

“We use a very special technology of 2mm hardened glass, which you can bend in any direction and it doesn't crack, which is very important for outdoor usage,” he said.

From Utility-Scale Wind to Residential Solar

While the product itself is quite interesting and has won numerous design awards including the Red Dot 2016 Award and the Green Good Design Award for 2016, what’s also interesting is that the man who is passionately fighting to keep offshore wind project Cape Wind viable, is behind the company’s move to North America.

Jim Gordon has been trying to get his 130-MW offshore wind farm built off the coast of Massachusetts since 2001 and has successfully defeated 26 lawsuits against the project all filed by citizen groups who don’t like the aesthetics of the project. The Koch brothers have supported the opposition. In 2015 the project lost its PPAsbecause it had not begun construction and just the week, the project suffered another loss as the federal appeals court threw out two of the government approvals for the project.

Gordon remains hopeful that Cape Wind will one day come to fruition but for now he’s throwing his passion for clean energy toward the SmartFlower.

“I saw this on the internet about 3 months ago and the next day I hopped on a plane to Vienna, Austria,” he said. “The very next day.”

Gordon wrangled a meeting with founder Swatek and insisted that he become an investor and bring the product to the North American market.

“I like to be on the leading edge,” said Gordon, adding: “For so many years I’ve been dealing with environmental regulators and bureaucrats and NIMBYs (not in my backyard). I want to leapfrog over all of that and I want to empower the individual.”

The Smart Flower puts clean energy in the hands of the homeowner, business, or municipality. “It’s in your hands to make a decision,” said Gordon.

“A billion and a half kilowatts of clean power have been kept from the public because of Bill Koch and his cronies. All I have to do is sell 350,000 of these to make up that billion and a half kilowatts,” he said.

With a price tag of US $16,900, the product’s price point is right in line with a typical 4-kW system in most parts of the U.S. Plus, it comes in eight color choices and takes just a few hours to install said the company.

The SmartFlower was on display at Intersolar North America in San Francisco from July 12-14 and is considering exhibiting at Solar Power International in September.

Lagos to use biogas from abattoirs waste to generate electricity

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Shakirudeen Olayiwole Onasanya during a one day workshop on food safety in the Nigerian meat industry in Lagos said that the Lagos State government is planning an innovative project to convert waste from the abattoirs in the state, The Nation reports.

He spoke through the Director, Veterinary Service, Dr Shamisudeen Olalekan. Consequently, new abattoirs may have biogas producing facilities to disseminate cheap and relatively clean energy throughout the facilities. This is also expected to improve waste management at the abattoir.

He highlighted the challenge of managing waste, stressed that the government is taking steps to improve sanitary control in slaughtering, processing and commercialisation of meat at Oko-Oba Abattoir in Agege to prevent food safety risks.

Kaduna signs MoU with Skipper Seil for 100MW solar plant

Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El Rufai has signed an agreement with Skipper Seil, an Indian firm to build a 100MW solar power plant in the state.

According to the Governor’s official Facebook page, Governor El Rufai also joined Skipper’s Jitendra Sachdeva at the curtain-raiser of their EHV Power transformer manufacturing plant mean’t for the the supply of transformers within the state.

A statement on the page read; “Kaduna State and Skipper Seil have signed the MOU for a 100MW solar power plant. We are also delighted to sign an agreement with Skipper Seil for the supply of affordable transformers to our state. I also joined Skipper’s Jitendra Sachdeva at the curtain-raiser of their EHV Power transformer manufacturing plant – Malam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai”.

A Clever Canopy Brings Solar Power to Brooklyn at Long Last

GOING SOLAR IN New York is a hassle. Despite interest from residents and incentives that can cut the cost of a residential install by 75 percent, the city has been slow to adopt the technology—especially compared to the far reaches of Long Island.

Blame architecture, says T.R. Ludwig, co-founder of Brooklyn SolarWorks, a startup trying to bring solar panels to Big Apple rooftops. The market is vibrant, he says, but limited to pitch-roof, suburban-style homes. The brick and brownstone homes of Brooklyn and Manhattan tend to have flat roofs rife with obstacles like skylights, hatches, and HVAC systems. What’s more, city code requires a cleared pathway at least 6 feet wide and 9 feet high. It doesn’t help that panels on flat roofs are more susceptible to shading and tougher to position for optimal efficiency, which Ludwig says is a 33 degree pitch and pointed due south.

Overcoming these challenges required clever design. The Brooklyn firm Situ Studio created a canopy that elevates 2.5- by 5-foot photovoltaic panels (generating around 320 watts each) 10 feet above the roof. The panels are affixed to brackets and trusses mounted on 9-foot A-frame columns bolted to rails secured to the building parapets. Situ created a parametric system in which a canopy can be easily adjusted to suit each roof’s measurements. This ensures that the canopies adhere to city codes and makes fabricating them more efficient. This drives down cost, though it still isn’t cheap. A canopy of 15 to 18 panels—the size required to offset the 6,000 to 8,000 kilowatt hours a family of four consumes in a typical year—costs about $30,000. After incentives, most canopies that size costing closer to $7,000. “Payback on these things is typically about six years,” Ludwig says.

In New York, where space is at a premium, a roof often functions as a communal space, much like a yard. Therefore, Situ wanted the canopies to obstruct as little space as possible. “We imagine what happens underneath these things will vary greatly from home to home,” says co-founder Brad Samuels. “You have to imagine this as an infrastructure that primarily supports solar but also creates a new space on top of roofs. Every person will customize it a bit differently. That can’t be designed exactly, but it can be designed for.”

The canopies are sleek, but not discreet. They’re a conspicuous addition to the skyline. Ludwig considers that a good thing. “We think as more people go on their own roofs and they see their neighbors going solar with canopies, that’s going to add a viral effect to going solar,” he says. “That’s our dream of course.”

Nigeria’s electricity grid stabilizes at 3,000mw

The national electricity grid has settled at over 3,000 megawatts (mw) all through this week especially during the Eid festivity, Daily Trust reports.

Daily operational statistics from the Nigerian System Operator, an arm of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) showed that the grid, which dropped to a lower range in June, started improving by the end of last month. Peak generation all through the Eid holidays was about 3,000mw.

Power generation peaked at 3,002mw on Thursday which was a decline of 66mw from the capacity generated last Wednesday. However, the lowest average generation in two days was about 2,600mw with about 66,468 megawatt hour (mwh) transmitted for distribution to households and industries during the period.

Electricity-starved Gazans go solar

Gaza’s 1.9m population has only one power plant and even that has not escaped damage during the course of Israel’s wars

Gaza: Nahed Abu Assi’s farm has been bombed in each of the three Gaza wars since 2008 and, like in the rest of the Palestinian enclave, he receives only a paltry amount of electricity each day.

With his chickens dying and the cost of using generators high, Abu Assi now hopes to do as others have done in Gaza – if he can find a loan to pay for it, install solar panels.

“The electricity is cut for hours every day,” the balding 52-year-old said.

“You have to connect to generators that cost a lot to fuel and that need regular repairs to keep the lamps and the livestock fans running around the clock.”

A growing number of Gazans fed up with their erratic electricity supply are turning to solar power in an area where the sun shines for the vast majority of the year.

Grey and black solar panels are increasingly visible on rooftops.

Stores and advertisements promoting such technology have also expanded.

“Schools, hospitals and public institutions have been equipped with solar panels and other projects have been launched to at least try to partially resolve the electricity crisis,” said Raed Abu Al Haj, head of the solar energy unit in the strip’s energy authority.

Some 10,000 homes could soon be equipped with photovoltaic panels.

The option is not cheap. Abu Assi expects to fork out between 4,500 euros (Dh18,290) and 5,400 euros for panels, but he says the investment will pay off over time.

Gaza and its population of 1.9 million people has only one electricity plant and it has been damaged by wars with Israel, the most devastating of which was fought in the summer of 2014.

Gaza imports electricity from Israel and Egypt, but those supplies are not nearly enough.

Electricity demand is estimated at 450 megawatts, but only 250 is available: 27 per cent from Israel, 22 per cent provided by Gaza’s own plant and six per cent by Egypt.

Israel has maintained a blockade on the Gaza Strip for around a decade.

But Gazans – half of whom live below the poverty line – are now being allowed to import solar panels and prices have gradually come down, Al Haj says.

Those taking advantage include Daoud Tarazi, who decided to equip his home and his petrol station with solar panels.

He said it was “no longer possible to work with 18 hours of electricity cuts per day” at his station, he said.

At home, where he receives 12 hours of electricity per day, “food spoils in the refrigerator and electronic equipment always breaks down”.

With the solar panels, Tarazi’s bills have fallen, since he no longer has to operate generators.

Beyond that, solar power does not pollute and he no longer has to deal with days without electricity.

“There are only five or six days per year without sun in Gaza,” he said.

Solar panels also provide a safer alternative to the dangers of generators and candles, said Mohammad Atallah, a businessman and member of a renewable energy organisation that has installed solar panels for street lights for roads traversing the Gaza Strip.

Health officials say explosions and fires from generators and candles have caused the deaths of 24 people in recent years, most of them children.

But despite the recent spike in interest, solar power remains only a tiny part of the energy mix in the Gaza Strip – amounting to around three megawatts, says Al Haj.

“But within three years, we hope to reach 15 megawatts,” he said.