By Constance Athekame
Electricity access is essential for people’s lives and livelihoods; from using fridges for storing food and medicine; charging mobile phones to stay connected; lighting up households and schools at night to powering local businesses.
Most people in many rural areas of Nigeria lack access to electricity and only few can afford costly diesel-powered generators that lead to pollution and noise endangering people’s life.
Solar-powered mini-grids could be the answer to rural communities’ access to electricity because it is well-suited to small, remote communities, renewable energy mini-grids can now be the cheaper, greener option.
Providing electricity to rural populations can take three forms: grid extension; standalone solar systems; and mini-grids.
The Solar Nigeria programme funded by the European Union is improving the lives and prospects of 10,000 hospital and clinic patients, and 5,000 school and college pupils, as well as creating jobs in solar operation and maintenance.
According to a statement by the group, more babies are being successfully delivered at night, vaccines are being stored at the correct temperature in rural clinics, schools have power for audiovisual equipment and computers, and children can see after dark to do their homework.
The statement explained that in recent years, it had installed solar technology in six hospitals, one primary healthcare centre and a health technology college in Adamawa State; 13 rural hospitals in Kaduna; six schools and six primary healthcare centres in Kano; and a college of nursing and midwifery in Borno.