SON, NESP plan energy efficiency model for households, public buildings

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP) have created a strategic action to improve energy efficiency of equipment used in residential and public buildings in Nigeria, TODAY reports.

The acting Director-General of SON, Dr. Paul Angya, said that the agency will facilitate access to information for consultants, set up and support the technical committee for air condition standards and labels that will support the promotion and creation of awareness in the country. He said Nigeria could not afford to lag behind in a critical area where about 84 countries had already implemented energy efficient standards in terms of the kinds of lamps, air-conditioners and refrigerators that are allowed in their domains.

Head of Unit, Energy Efficiency at Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), Dr Charles Diarra, said this would be done through the introduction of appropriate energy efficiency policies, measures and demand-side management programmes in order to strengthen the regulatory and institutional framework, develop monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, provide training to appliance and equipment professionals, and launch a public outreach campaign to promote energy efficiency in Nigeria.

Here Comes the Sun: #Solar Power Is Offically Reshaping Our Energy Production

SOLAR CHANGES

Solar energy certainly has come a long way in being a reliable source of energy in its own right. Going from being a novelty resource tapped by climate change advocates to increasingly being used by individuals, cities, and even whole countries.

Indeed, more and more countries are joining the solar bandwagon. The biggest player around is China, who has even thought up a $50 trillion global grid of renewable energy supplying all countries. India sees itself with a 100 GW solar power capacity by 2022.

In fact cities and countries have had their whole grids powered by solar or renewables for periods of time. Costa Rica ran 285 days last year on 100% renewable energy. Cities like Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Reykjavik, Iceland; and Curitiba, Brazil have already reached the 100% renewable energy goal, and much of that comes from solar power.

SUNNY SIDE UP

So what’s fueling the increasing adoption of solar? Aside from being one of the preeminent renewable energy sources (others being wind, geothermal, and biofuels) much research and development has been focused on solar power.

In a nutshell, solar modules and their connected technologies are becoming better and more efficient at generating and storing energy. Even the traditional argument against solar, that it doesn’t run at night, becomes invalidated by concentrated solar power and better battery technologies.

All this has led to a general decline in the cost of solar power. In 2015, the installed cost of solar in the US has dropped 5% in small-scale solar panels and 12% in utility-scale solar farms. Chile has seen solar electricity be sold at $29.10 a megawatt-hour, nearly half of electricity from coal.

With the increasing uncertainty in the oil we suck from the ground, its time we start looking to the heavens for our energy needs.

Indigenous firm launches solar-powered “Keke Marwa” tricycles

 Nigerian company, Arthur Energy Technology Limited, has launched the first ever solar-powered tricycle, popularly called Keke Marwa, Vanguard reports.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Engr. Arthur Okeyika said that having observed the deplorable state of Nigeria’s economy and the high cost of living; “fossil fuel as the sole energy source for Nigerian cars, homes and industries is not a sustainable option. We had to go into alternative energy sources to help Nigerians cut down on energy costs and at the same time, improve on the environment, health and earn foreign exchange.”

Okeyika said the company aims to provide affordable, cost- efficient means of road transportation for low and middle income Nigerians for inter and intra-city movements. He added; “We also aim to reduce the high demand and consumption of fossil fuel and oil by commercial road transport operators, create opportunity for local investors to explore existing investment opportunities in the solar vehicle manufacturing industry, reduce high cost of maintenance of commercial vehicles, boost income generation and employment in the transport sector and create opportunity for youths to acquire skills in the solar vehicle industry.”

3,050mw Mambilla hydro power project set to take off

Forty Chinese engineers have finally visited the site of the 3,050 MW Mambilla hydro-power project at Gembu in Taraba State. The high profile visit which took place weekend is preparatory to the take off of the project, Daily Trust reports.

The visit was undertaken in company of officials from the Federal Ministry Power, Works and Housing and  heavy security. It was gathered that this was the first time such a number of experts visited the site since the plan to construct the dam was conceived several decades ago.

The squabbles over the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract between two Chinese companies Gezhouba Construction Group Corporation (CGGC) and the Sinohydro Corporation that caused setbacks previously, is said by officials to have been resolved. It was also learnt that the scope of work at the site has finally been presented by the Chinese contractors to the federal government.

The Director, Energy Resources Development in the ministry, Mr. Emmanuel Ajayi said project cost had been reviewed with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) valuing it at $5.732billion (about N1.140trn). The federal government will contribute its 15% equity financing after raking in about N1trillion from the sales of the 10 gas-based power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) while the 85% funding from China is already domiciled with the China Export Import (EXIM) Bank.

Tiga and Challawa dams IPP projects to take off soon

The Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has announced that his government is fine-tuning arrangements to evacuate power from Tiga and Challawa Independent Power Projects (IPP) for distribution to the public, ThisDay reports.

He stated this during a meeting with the President of Skipper Group, Mr. Jitender Kumar Sachdeva in his office in Gurgaon, India and added that the government would procure distributor transformers for rural electrification and augmentation/distribution networks. He said; “all future transformer requirements shall be done from Skipper after seeking necessary clarifications from Kano Electricity Distribution Company.”

Ganduje also expressed interest in setting up of a 100MW Green Economic Zone, an eco-friendly initiative based upon the hybrid model of sourcing power as well as a proposal for a 150 KW community solar system, by the company, in Kano. A subsidiary of the Skipper Group, SkipperSeil Nigeria Ltd. is currently executing the multi billion Naira Tiga and Challawa dams Independent Power Projects, in Kano.

Solar Nigeria ensures 92,000 new homes receive solar energy in six months

Businesses supported by Solar Nigeria provided more than 92,000 Nigerian homes with solar lighting or power systems between January and June 2016. More than 45,000 of these homes are located in Northern Nigeria.

All the systems were supplied on full commercial terms, with the householder paying cash, taking a loan, or renting the equipment. The systems include everything from single bright lamps through to Solar Home Systems able to power multiple lights, a television and fan.

The result maintains the pace set in the first quarter of 2016, when 49,000 homes received solar lighting or power systems through the programme. It brings the total of homes equipped thanks to support from Solar Nigeria and its partner programme Lighting Africa to 182,000 since mid-2015.

Solar Nigeria works to build Nigeria’s market for decentralised solar energy by removing market barriers through targeted grants to qualified solar suppliers and finance institutions, so they can build capacity and provide solar systems to consumers on commercial terms.

“Expansion of this market represents by far the fastest route for increasing the share of Nigeria’s population that have access to modern energy,” said Leigh Vial, Solar Nigeria’s consumer markets lead.

The programme’s first 16 partners, selected through a competitive process in 2015, include a mix of international and Nigerian firms, including veteran solar suppliers and highly qualified new entrants.

For instance, in Kano, Kaduna, and Adamawa states, Solar Nigeria support helps Total Nigeria Plc distribute its Awango solar products to customers in remote locations, thanks to a partnership with the Murtala Muhammad Foundation to organise resellers’ clubs. Funds from Solar Nigeria funds help defray risk so that resellers are supplied on 100 % credit terms.

“You have to find ways to go to communities with a last-mile strategy,” said Osaki Enumro, communications manager at Total Nigeria Plc. “That’s what this resellers program is all about.”

In Kaduna, Solar Nigeria supports Sosai Renewable Energies, a woman-owned local business that has expanded from pollution-reducing cookstoves to water filtration and solar energy products.

“Solar Nigeria has given us peace of mind to allow customers to pay in instalments,” said Habiba Ali, Sosai’s founder and chief executive.

A new round of grants, focusing on financial institutions, is under way, with recipients expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Power Africa, Japan partner to improve renewable energy access in Africa

Today, Power Africa announced a new partnership arrangement with the Government of Japan focused on reducing energy poverty and increasing access to sustainable energy in sub-Saharan Africa. The Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between the United States and Japan — signed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) — includes commitments to share strengths, expertise and resources in an effort to accelerate access to renewable energy in Africa.

Through Power Africa, USAID and MOFA seek to further align the Power Africa initiative and Japan’s relevant efforts in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) process and will provide a foundation for collaboration in the energy sector. Through this MOC, the Government of Japan is committing to bring an additional 1,200 megawatts (MW) of power to sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2018.

TICAD is a unique process that has made remarkable contributions to African development for more than 20 years through the joint efforts of co-organizers, namely the Government of Japan, the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the African Union Commission (AUC). Improvement of access to energy has been one of the key issues, and at TICAD’s fifth summit in 2013, the Government of Japan made a commitment to provide financial support amounting to 200 billion JPY ($2 billion USD) to promote low-carbon energy in Africa over five years.

This partnership arrangement represents the United States and Japan’s shared commitment to contribute to the global effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular to contribute to efforts to achieve SDG 7, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.

“I am pleased today to sign this Memorandum of Cooperation, on behalf of the United States Government, which represents a new partnership with the Government of Japan,” said Linda Etim, the head of African Affairs for the U.S. Agency for International Development. “Japan is already a strong partner in Africa as evidenced by the TICAD Summit and I am certain this partnership will advance our common commitment to electrifying the continent.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Japan to increase access to renewable energy for people across sub-Saharan Africa,” said Power Africa Coordinator Andrew Herscowitz. “With our combined resources and expertise, we are better equipped to facilitate the implementation of more low-carbon energy projects and enhance energy efficiency in existing power plants in the years to come.”   

“We are glad to enter a new stage for our already strong partnership, and the signing of this MOC sends a strong message to African people that our governments are taking the issue of energy poverty seriously,” said Seiji Okada, Ambassador for TICAD. “I am also pleased to show that TICAD is an open initiative to mobilize various efforts to overcome critical development issues in Africa.”