Energy experts proffer alternative to Nigeria’s power issues

Stakeholders in the Nigerian energy sector have sought a structured intervention in alternative power by the Nigerian government to harness the benefits in the fast growing field so as to boost the country’s sustainability in power supply.

The stakeholders, including Techfine experts from China, spoke in Ibadan at the 4th Nexgen Energy Techfine Partners’ Capacity-Building Training, a business partnership forum which was held at the weekend, hosted by Nexgen Energy, a leading solar energy company based in Ibadan.

At the two-day event held at Nexgen’s headquarters at Aare Avenue, Bodija, Ibadan, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) addressed brand dealers and ambassadors on the latest Techfine product lineup covering battery systems, inverters and charge controllers while creating a valuable platform for business networking and collaboration across the partner ecosystem.

Nexgen Energy’s Head of Technical Department, Noah Ojo, said the training was imperative because “renewable energy is the way to go in this critical time in the nation, especially now that everybody is migrating to one alternative power source or the other.”

According to Ojo, the gathering was a way of getting partners of Nexgen Energy ready as people that are tasked with handling the power situation in the country, saying “we as a renewable energy company are looking at what they need to be able to meet the needs of our customers at this time when the energy crisis is at its peak.”

Ojo added that Nexgen brought the gathering of the alternative power stakeholders to understand what the experts on the field are facing with a view to proffering solutions and putting the knowhow out there.

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Speaking on alternative energy, especially solar power, the stakeholders including engineers, technicians and allied experts in the alternative energy sector expressed the belief that an intervention by the government would lift overall energy supply in the country and help sustainability in the sector.

One of the participants, Mr. Taiwo Igbasan of Techspace Energy, lauded Nexgen Energy for the training, saying the renewable energy sector is thriving considering the fact that Nigerians are seeking alternatives to the grid, which has repeatedly underperformed.

“For the presidency to go completely off-grid is a big win for the renewable energy sector in Nigeria but there is the need for the government to put in place mechanisms, including regulatory bodies to regulate pricing and quality of products used in the sector,” Igbasan stated.

Also speaking, Mr. Odekanmi Oluwadamilare of Dretech Energy Systems expressed gratitude for the training, saying it afforded him and other dealers the opportunity to seek answers to their questions and also help them to understand the latest technology in the sector.

Oluwadamilare expressed concern that “there are a lot of unexperienced engineers out there,” saying “these are some of the things giving end users concern because as much as there is high demand for solar energy among Nigerians, there are also a vast number of unexperienced and incompetent solar engineers out there .”

He said the grid is nothing to write home about and called for an intervention to make solar adoption easier, better and more affordable. “The government took a very huge step by going solar, then why can’t we? It is in a way of passing a message to every citizen that solar is the next way, and the government can also encourage us by giving incentives and making adoption easy,” Oluwadamilare stated.

On the feedback that informed the 4th edition of the training, Mrs. Oluwakemi Aiyekitan, the capacity-building Team Lead of Nexgen said feedback was vital on convening the meeting because the Techfine engineers from China have explained the correction of errors that were identified by field experts in an earlier training in 2024.

Operations Manager of Nexgen Energy and Allied Services, Mrs. Olawumi Akande, said through the meeting, their partners, dealers and customers have the opportunity to meet with the direct manufacturers of the products so as to share knowledge and information to improve renewable energy uptake.

Akande said although awareness is still low on renewable energy and what could be achieved through it, the knowledge is, however, improving but still said government policy is still needed to “help and assist renewable energy organisations like Nexgen to make this solution available to all.”