Despite efforts of the Federal Government in the past few years, the supply of electricity remains epileptic in many parts of the nation with consumers experiencing also massive exploitation from Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs. UDEME AKPAN who has been following the trend reports that many consumers have started to switch to solar.

President Goodluck Jonathan was not pleased with the state of the nation’s power sector when he got the mantle to preside over the affairs of the nation in 2010. After much contemplation, Jonathan stated in the nation’s power sector that: “My appraisal of the sector over the past few years has revealed that the factors that affect reliable electricity service delivery in Nigeria include the absence of a sustained and deliberately deployed long term power development strategy under exploitation of our abundant energy endowments and the absence of adequate and unknown implementation of reforms.

The president thereafter constituted two committees to fast track the resolution of all issues pertaining to power sector. These included the Presidential Action Committee on Power and Presidential Taskforce on Power. The Presidential Action Committee on Power has the responsibility to provide leadership and guidance and to determine the general policy direction and strategic focus of power reform, the committee meets weekly while the Presidential Tax force on Power is the engine room for the day to day planning, and it is charged with the responsibility of developing and driving forward the action plan of the Nigerian power sector, with achievable targets, especially with reference to the areas of Power generation, transmission, distribution, as well as fuel to power.

The president maintained that: “I have declared that on the attainment of stability in the sector, the government will disengage from generation and distribution of electricity in the country. Government will encourage the private sector participation in these areas. Therefore, as articulated in the electric power sector reform act, the private sector will be responsible for generation and distribution, while government will still own the transmission grid, but with private sector management. We are in the process of commissioning independent power producers, international oil companies to produce at least 5,000 megawatts of new capacity. These plants will begin production in 2012 and 2013. Government will provide the credit enhancement that will enable them invest in the construction of the power plants.

Jonathan also stated that: “The key factor to realising government goals in the power sector is appropriate tariff regime. The tariff on electric power in our country today is much lower than what is paid in countries across the West African sub region. The present tariff regime will be adjusted in line with government’s determination to provide reliable electricity to the consumers but this will be done in a way that it will not affect ordinary consumers.

Investigations showed that some achievements have been made in the past few years. For instance, efforts have been made to increase the nation’s electricity generation from less than 2,000 megawatts, mw to the present over 4,000mw which is still 8,000mw less than the nation’s estimated 12,000mw national demand. Arrangements have reached an advanced stage to handover the nation’s 15 Electricity Generation Companies, GENCOs and Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs to preferred bidders who are expected to manage them better and deliver more electricity to consumers. More than that, concerted efforts have been made to improve transmission through the engagement of Manitoba Hydro International to manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

Despite these and other feats, the government has not yet met its set targets in the sector. Power supply remains low at over 4,000mw against 12,000mw estimated demand. Many consumers lack electricity meters. Consequently, the DISCOs continue to give them crazy bills amounting to between N10, 000 and N15, 000 per month whether they have supply or not. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has not been mute. Recently, the Commission issued a 14-day ultimatum to DISCOs, requesting them to submit a list of all customers who paid for meters since January 2011, and commence metering them with immediate effect. Specifically, the Dr. Sam Amadi –led Commission expressed its utter dismay that all DISCOs have been in complete violation of the order as it relates to customers who have made payments within the given time frame, and have not been identified for immediate metering. NERC had earlier in the year issued an Order on CAPMI – Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation. CAPMI was a response by the regulator to address the lingering issue of non-issuance of meters by the electricity companies.

However, while awaiting these and other issues to be solved, many consumers have taken to the use of solar. The Chief Architect, GoSolarAfrica, Mr. Femi Oye stated that: “Many consumers have already shifted from the use of public power to renewable, especially solar because of some advantages such as low technology cost, wider service coverage, short and simple trainings required for efficient operations.

Oye who puts the rate of adaptation to solar at 37 per cent in the past three years (formerly 5-7 per cent) attributed it to other factors such as confidence building on the reliability of solar in the nation. Low cost of components, especially solar panel and battery. For instance, he stated that solar panel which used to be N1, 000 now cost only N300 per wax. He stated that the lightness of equipment which requires low transportation cost, community resource mobilisation and community management of the decentralised energy system also promote social integration.

He maintained that: “By using solar energy as our future source of energy, we can avoid both the two crises as well as meet Nigeria’s immediate energy needs. The application of solar can be broadly classified into two categories; (a) thermal energy systems which convert solar energy into thermal energy and (b) photovoltaic energy systems that convert solar energy into electrical energy.

Oye who has spent his entire life assisting consumers to maximize the use of solar stated that the shift to solar would not have been possible without the efforts of two Solar Energy Research Centres at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto. As he puts it: “Efforts at both Centers and other Solar Energy Research Laboratories resident in other Nigerian universities and polytechnics have been geared at designing absorptive surfaces for the effective harnessing of solar radiation.

The solar expert who believed the bold steps would go a long way to eliminating BlackOut in Africa stated that the development would assist to clean the environment, stem global warming, strengthen the energy grid, and support national security and energy independence, while enabling consumers to become energy independent.

He counseled potential consumers to make use of competent consultants to avoid making regrettable mistakes. For instance, Oye stated that: “CarbonCredit Network pays for, installs, owns and operates the Solar Home System (SHS). All you do is pay for your monthly electricity usage from your panels. Your contract rate for this electricity is based on the outcome of your energy audit + your average carbon footprint for your utility during the prior year. We “lock in” this rate so that it never goes up for the entire duration of the contract, up to 10 years. We give you back your power, you produce your own electricity, and you keep the savings every month.

He remarked that no upfront equipment investment. No waiting for discount or solar to become cheaper. Oye stated that CarbonCredit Network obtains all permits and handles engineering, procurement, and construction. He maintained that consumers only pay for what is delivered.

Oye stated that: “After you sign up for a no obligation account on our CarbonCredit Network and activate your account to receive your welcome carbon offset pack, a demonstration that you are a Carbon Neutral Citizen. Your Carbon Offset Pack contains a tradable Solar lanterns, Energy Saver Lamps and Clean Cook Stove – These can be used and share with others or re-sell to low income house-holds, helping them further reduce carbon and green house gases.

He explained that: “Solar energy begins with the sun. Solar panels, also known as photovoltaic, are used to convert light from the sun, which is composed of particles of energy called “photons”, into electricity that can be used to power electrical loads. Light from the sun is a renewable energy resource which provides clean energy, produced by solar panels. Solar panels can be used for a wide variety of applications including remote power systems for cabins, telecommunications equipment, remote sensing, and of course for the production of electricity by residential and commercial solar panel systems.

Oye maintained that: “When deciding to use solar the following are to put in consideration – How much power you consume, How many hour of direct sunlight the panel will receive, make inventory of all electric appliances you use, estimate the number of hour your equipment will run on batteries in a day, add up all the wattage, purchase the solar panel that suites your wattage ratings and divide the total appliances wattage by 5 to get the solar panel wattage to be used.”

This approach seems to be appropriate. An Uyo-based consumer, Mr. Godwin Etuk who used the approach to get his solar installed stated that with the massive importation of solar components from different parts of the world, especially India and China, the prices of components have crashed substantially. He remarked that this makes solar affordable to many consumers now than in the past. Etuk who called for local production of local components to further reduce the cost stated that solar is gradually becoming a reliable source of energy and that the DISCOs may have to work harder to attract and retain the loyalty of this class of consumers in the coming years.

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.

Source: National Mirror Newspaper

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