How NASENI’s Major Investments In Renewable Energy Will Power Productivity

It is estimated that over 80 million Nigerians lack access to electricity especially those living in rural and underserved communities which is compounded by the chronically poor generation and distribution of the national grid system.

Today, alternative sources of energy have become the paramount interest of governments and stakeholders within the energy sector as more investments are made into the renewable energy sector to drive development. It is in this regard that the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has taken the gauntlet to change the situation of power supply shortages despite unlimited potential in the renewable energy sector.

Nigeria is blessed with enormous but largely untapped renewable energy potential, especially in solar and hydropower, which can help fix the country’s lingering electricity shortfalls. Nigeria’s solar energy resources are encouraging because the country gets 7 to 10 hours of sunshine daily, with high solar irradiation rate of about 5.5kWh/m² per day.

According to credible sources, the country has the potential to generate hundreds of gigawatts of solar power, far exceeding current grid demands. In the hydropower sector, Nigeria has over 24,000 to 25,000 megawatts (MW) of untapped large and small hydropower potentials, though existing hydro power plants currently supply around 30 per cent of total national grid generation.

Nigeria’s wind energy potential is equally beaming with so much as its coastal and northern regions hold moderate wind energy, estimated at over 68 gigawatts by the Nigerian Wind Energy Association, mostly suited for low-grid or decentralized setups.

The biomass areas such as agricultural and animal waste offer significant potential for biomass, biogas, and localized waste-to-energy projects, which has made countries like China wealthy. Despite these immense energy resources, Nigeria faces major challenges in exploiting its renewable energy sector. One of those is financing constraints as the country is burdened by high initial setup costs.

In this regard, buying and installing imported renewable systems such as solar panels, batteries, and inverters require huge capitals that many households and small businesses hardly afford. There is also the troubling issue of expensive credit as many stakeholders face the challenge of accessing loans and project financing is difficult due to high interest rates, currency volatility, and perceived investment risks in the local market.

The perennial infrastructural challenge characterized by an outdated national grid confronts the sector. In this instance, the central transmission and distribution network is old, weak, and susceptible to frequent collapses, making it hard to integrate decentralized renewable power cleanly into the main grid.

There is also the dearth of skilled expertise such as certified engineers, which in some cases manifest into poor installations, faulty wiring, and substandard equipment, which raises safety and fire risks. The nation is also beset with policy and regulatory obstacles as well as poor implementation even with the existence of certain regulations and acts as government policies often suffer from weak enforcement, inconsistent incentives, and uncoordinated federal-state regulations.

There is also the issue of low understanding and awareness as many rural and urban communities still lack adequate knowledge about the long-term cost benefits and practical applications of renewable energy systems.

It was in the midst of these opportunities and challenges that NASENI under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, embarked on strategic national renewable energy projects to transform this sector and the results have been outstanding.

Recently the Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to create affordable renewable energy products that can be deployed by REA to improve rural electrification. The MoU is implemented via NASENI’s subsidiary (NASENI DevFrontier Green Energy FZE) and REA’s limited liability company (RAMco).

This development is in line with the mandate given to the Agency by President Bola Tinubu within the framework of the Renewed Hope Agenda to develop a comprehensive strategy to ensure that rural dwellers enjoy the benefit of such investments which will improve their livelihoods, boost productivity, and create jobs.

The Agency reinvigorated under the guidance of Halilu, has developed and commercialised a number of NASENI renewable energy products such as Solar panels (different sizes) Solar Home Solutions, Solar Irrigation Pumps, Solar Street Lamp and Solar Generator. NASENI’s solar-powered irrigation pumps offer a cost-effective and sustainable solution for farmers as well as the production of solar-powered lights, enhancing safety and security in off-grid areas.

The NASENI 1KVA Hybrid Solar Generator stands out due to its ability to provide a dependable power source for both homes and businesses particularly during power outages. All these are targeted at providing MSMEs with access to renewable energy solutions, potentially through financing navigation, implementation strategies, and policy advocacy.

Other investments in renewable energy infrastructure include NASENI Solar Energy Limited (NSEL) at Karshi, FCT Abuja; NASENI Renewable Energy Industrial Park at Gora, Nasarawa State; and NASENI Innovation Campus, Abuja Technology Village at Pyakasa, off Airport Road, Abuja.

Under the dynamic leadership of Halilu, the Agency is now actively involved in powering Nigerian SMEs with renewable energy through its subsidiary, NSEL, a solar Photovoltaic (PV) Module/Solar Panel manufacturing company located at Karshi, FCT Abuja, wholly owned by the Agency.

The EVC/CEO of NASENI has upgraded the NSEL solar manufacturing plant from 22 megawatts to 50 megawatts and is on the verge of expanding the production capacity further to 100 megawatts to meet growing demands. The solar panels produced at the company include 80W, 175W, 180W, 190W, 200W, 250W, 275W, 350W and 690W. The local production of these panel sizes is a progressive step in the national industrialization drive.

Other products manufactured by NSEL include Plug ‘n’ Play Solar Home Solution, Hybrid Solar Power Trainer, Solar Powered Event Generator, NSEL Solar Control System, etc, which are designed and patented to generate clean electricity for homes. They are designed to blend with furniture in a typical Nigeria sitting room.

Another strategic project being championed by the Agency is The NASENI Renewable Energy Industrial Park (NREIP), a 40-hectare multi-energy industrial hub currently under construction in Gora, Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. This flagship project will serve as West Africa’s first end-to-end solar cell, wind energy, hydro and biomass systems manufacturing ecosystem.

By localising the complete production value chain, the project aims to eradicate Nigeria’s reliance on imported green technologies, conserve foreign exchange, and mitigate domestic energy poverty. The NREIP is positioned to act as a significant driver of local economic growth and human capital development, generating about 4,000 direct jobs alongside 50,000 indirect employment opportunities across the alternative energy value chain.

Furthermore, Halilu has began the construction of NASENI Innovation Campus at the Abuja Technology Village, Lugbe in Abuja, reaffirming the Agency’s commitment to building a world-class innovation ecosystem that supports the commercialization of Nigerian ideas.

The Campus is a strategic investment that will provide innovators emerging from programmes such as InnovateNaija with the environment and infrastructure needed to transform ideas into market-ready products and scalable businesses. Products such as electricity vehicle (EV) batteries will also be produced there.

During an inspection of ongoing construction at the site, the EVC/CEO noted that the NASENI Innovation Campus is a key component of the vision he shared a year ago to build a stronger NASENI Innovation Ecosystem, adding that the project reflects the Agency’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s innovation capacity and accelerating industrialization through homegrown technologies.

The development of renewable energy infrastructure has created multiple jobs in manufacturing, installation, and maintenance, which has greatly helped in reducing the burden of unemployment in the country and attracting foreign investment in solar energy projects, which can boost the Nigerian economy.

In underserved and rural communities, NASENI’s alternative energy solutions have boosted rural communities and strengthened the institutional bases. There are significant case studies of successes, testimonies, and impacts of this policy on education, healthcare and small businesses that have been great and generally contributing to national energy security.

In essence, as NASENI takes a multi-pronged approach to addressing Nigeria’s energy deficit through solar power, wind, biomass and small hydropower solution productions, the Agency is offering a pathway to a more reliable, affordable and sustainable energy future for Nigeria, addressing pressing energy challenges while promoting economic growth and environmental responsibility.

With the progress of things in NASENI, under the visionary leadership of Halilu, the coming years will surely see Nigeria rise to its greatest potential in energy and make its economy one of the most competitive in Africa and globally too.