T.M. Kayode

So I got a lot of work done today. I’m so happy, relieved and grateful. It was a fun productive day. Now getting all this work done was made easy because I had electricity and access to high-speed internet. In my current state of gratitude and excitement, I quickly remembered that there are about 1.1 billion people who live without access to electricity according to the 2017 Energy Access Outlook. In Nigeria alone, there are about 80 million people who fall in this category. Most of these individuals live in rural communities, as such, they do not enjoy grid connections.  Lack of access to electricity impedes rapid development and limits productivity. Imagine not having access to modern cooking facilities, health care, entertainment – I shudder at the thought.

That is why renewable energy technologies (Solar, Wind, Biomass etc.) is important at this time.

A number of renewable energy projects were commissioned in Nigeria – this year alone. I’ll do an expose on them later in the blog. The Rural Electrification Agency (REA), other donor agencies; really got their monies worth this year, as there were different project of varying capacities flagged off this year.

Earlier this month, I took a field trip to a Mini-Grid site commissioned by the Ogun State government at Gbamu Gbamu, Igebu East, Ogun State. The project was developed by Rubitec Solar with funding from the European Union and the German Government. The capacity of the Mini-Grid is 85 kWp serving about 450 different households. Ever the adventurist, I was so excited to see the setup at Gbamu Gbamu and of course, interact with the people.

So, let me tell you about my experience.

The journey to Gbamu Gbamu was not easy. I currently reside somewhere in Ogun State, so when I heard that there was a Mini-Grid in Ogun State; I was happy. I figured it was just down the corner. Boy, was I wrong! After “travelling” for some hours, we had to pull off the interstate and drive for another hour “inside the bush”. For that 1 hour, all we could see were cocoa plantations, plantain plantations and other cash and food crops. Just when we thought we were headed for the edge of the earth, we reached a large clearing – the entrance of Gbamu Gbamu.

To be honest, the community was like nothing I imagined. I had assumed that I would see a comatose village with very little activity going on. To my uttermost surprise and pleasure, I saw a thriving community; with people hustling and bustling; buying and selling; living their lives to the fullest. Gbamu Gbamu is indeed a thriving commercial centre amongst other villages in that area.

The introduction of electricity via Solar Power completely moved the town to a whole new level. Before the installation of the Solar Mini-Grid, the community inhabitants would have to generate their own power using a variety of means such as petrol and diesel generators. In truth, most community members would rely on candles, lanterns, fuelwood etc. With the introduction of the Mini-Grid, the community would definitely see more business opportunities and partnerships in coming years; I foresee that many more farmers in that community will extend their businesses to include raw foods processing. They would also enjoy access to more markets, as their customers can easily contact them for supplies and deliveries.

The level of community engagement was also inspiring. You could tell that the community members had completely bought into the project. Their interactions with the utility manager assigned to the Mini-Grid was cordial. All metered customers have the pay a set tariff for their energy requirements to the powerhouse or purchase energy units through some accredited sellers and enjoy unfettered access to electricity.

I enjoyed my trip to Gbamu Gbamu, that was my very first Mini-Grid site. I plan to tour other sites in the nearest future and write articles about them. If you are interested in reading about the Mini-Grid sites, do let me know in the comments.

In conclusion, it was nice to see a very functional Mini-Grid site, my engineering curiosity was satisfied, as I got answers to all my “many” questions. I left the community feeling grateful for all that I had and also fueled with my mission to contribute to the electrification of rural Africa- one community at a time.