Follow Us on Google Discover
The Federal Government has commissioned a 3.3MWp solar hybrid mini-grid with 2MWh battery storage at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja, as part of efforts to improve reliable electricity supply to federal tertiary institutions.
The project, commissioned on Wednesday, includes 3MW of AC output capacity, a dedicated grid connection and a Renewable Energy Workshop and Training Centre.
The battery system is designed to support critical loads beyond daylight hours, while the grid connection serves non-critical demand when solar generation is unavailable.
Implemented under Phase 2 of the Energizing Education Programme (EEP), the project is part of an intervention covering seven universities and two teaching hospitals. The government is currently implementing Phase 3 of the programme.
Also Read
What they are saying
Speaking at the commissioning, Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, said the facility would benefit 58,726 students, while 388 solar-powered streetlights would improve campus lighting and security.
He said reliable electricity would support teaching and research, reduce the university’s dependence on diesel generators and ease pressure on its operating budget.
The Minister also called on students and the university community to protect the installation from vandalism and report damage to power infrastructure.
- “This sustained investment is a testament to this administration’s constancy of purpose. Continuing a national programme through successive phases, bringing projects to completion, and preparing the next phase reflects the discipline that development requires,” he said.
Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, said the value of the EEP should be measured not only by the amount of electricity generated but also by its impact on laboratories, research, campus safety and institutional finances.
He said the government had established the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO) to support the long-term management, maintenance and optimisation of renewable energy assets delivered through its programmes.
Aliyu said the sustainability of the project would depend on effective management after commissioning and called on the university’s governing council to ensure that the infrastructure continues to deliver value.
Beyond the mini-grid, the REA established a Renewable Energy Workshop and Training Centre at the university to develop local technical skills.
The REA MD encouraged the institution to use the facility as a research hub for distributed energy resources and develop academic programmes and technologies around renewable energy.
Get up to speed
The university project comes amid broader efforts to expand electricity access through renewable energy and distributed power systems.
- In June, WeLight, Africa’s largest solar mini-grid operator, raised $31 million to accelerate its expansion into Nigeria and increase electricity access in underserved communities.
- At the continental level, the Mission 300 initiative, launched by the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB), aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
- The programme has already connected more than 50 million people across 40 countries, according to figures announced by the World Bank and AfDB in June.
For Nigeria, the AfDB approved a $3.9 million two-year project in January to support the country and 12 other African nations in implementing their Mission 300 energy compacts.
What you should know
In April, REA noted that Nigeria’s domestic solar panel manufacturing capacity has increased to 300 megawatts (MW), up from 120MW two years ago, with a 3.7 gigawatts (GW) project pipeline in development.
REA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lotus Bank for a N100 billion revolving credit facility to expand renewable energy access to unserved and underserved rural communities across Nigeria.
Also, REA recently signed an agreement with ECOWAS to deploy solar systems to 15 public institutions under the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project.
