Mini-grid lights up Plateau community

A solar-hybrid mini-grid developed by a renewable energy firm has reportedly improved electricity supply in Dadin Kawa and other rural communities in Plateau State.

According to a video documentary, the solar grid developed by V-Solaris Limited has enabled residents to operate businesses, access essential healthcare services and study at night.

Residents of the communities said the improved power supply had reduced their dependence on petrol generators, torches and kerosene lamps, while supporting economic activities and improving their living conditions.

The King of Dadin Kawa Community, Nanzun Francis, said residents had endured prolonged periods without electricity before the installation of the mini-grid.

“We have been staying in darkness for a long time. Candles are even expensive in the market. Everybody now has television and fans. We have light now,” he stated.

The improved electricity supply has also helped students to study after sunset. A student in Dadin Kowa, Nathan Bali, said he previously struggled to read with a torch.

“Before we had a power supply, I was using a torch to read, and it was giving me problems. Now I read with ease, and I’m happy because there is light,” he stated.

Similarly, the King of Mile 4 Community, Chief Bulus Vincent, said the electricity supply had improved opportunities for children to study in the evenings, saying children can go for evening studies with light.

Similarly, healthcare facilities were said to have also benefited from the intervention, with Doctor Langes Bitrus of Moekat Community saying the electricity supply supported the use of essential medical equipment.

He said the mini-grid now supported “microscopes and other machines that need light for their operation.”

Bitrus added that patients had welcomed the improvement in electricity supply.

In the documentary, business owners said the mini-grid had reduced the challenges associated with using generators, including fuel costs and interruptions caused by mechanical faults.

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The Chairman of Daffo Community, Sati Mangut, noted that business operators previously relied on generators, which he described as “difficult and cumbersome”.

A businessman in Fajul, Renan Ezra, said unreliable electricity previously affected his operations whenever his generator developed a fault or ran out of fuel.

“If the generator is faulty, we cannot work. If the fuel is finished, we can’t also work,” he said.

He added that the solar-powered electricity supply “has brought a lot of profit for us in many ways.”

The Technical System Design Engineer, Danjuma Kassam, said V-Solaris had developed a solar power plant with an estimated capacity of 200 kilowatt-peak to supply electricity to the community.

He said reliable electricity could help farmers in Langtang South and other parts of Plateau State overcome challenges associated with irrigation, preservation of produce and the processing of groundnuts, maize, rice and other crops.

“With this particular invention now, this particular community will be ameliorated when it comes to the economy and the boosting of their livelihood,” he stated.

Kassam said the company had projects across Langtang South, Shendam and parts of Bokkos, with additional sites being prepared.

“V-Solaris is up to the task when it comes to building mini-grids and electrifying rural communities,” he said.

V-Solaris said it had implemented seven mini-grid projects under Nigeria’s Electrification Project, resulting in 5,517 connections.

Through an International Finance Corporation-backed initiative, the company plans to develop up to 97 additional mini-grid sites across nine states, with an estimated combined capacity of 15 megawatts and the potential to provide about 142,343 new connections.