At Royal Power and Energy (RPE) the understanding is access to power can determine a communities’ quality of life and prospects. With electricity Nigerians can engage in better economic opportunities and that is the reason why RPE is planning on constructing between 10-20 mini grids across the country. These solar powered mini grids will enable rural communities to have reliable access to electricity.
Universal energy access remains a challenge despite being essential in enabling human development as electricity is the essential basis for the improvement of elementary needs, like light, communication, education, health and safety. In consequence of rising fuel prices, renewable energies have become more interesting to bridge the energy gap, especially in a developing country like Nigeria where electricity is an everyday concern.
Nevertheless, there is not only a necessity of sustainable business models for energy supplying of hundreds of millions of people, but also a comparison of all countries need to be done in order to identify the most important players on this field. The absence of energy in Nigeria restrains independent companies, maturing business visionaries and rural communities from reaching their full potential.
A significant amount of the Nigerian economy is already powered largely by small-scale generators and almost 50 percent of the population have limited or no access to the grid. Nigerians and their organizations burn through millions every year on inefficient, contaminating and noisy generators which are expensive to maintain.
A mini grid, also sometimes referred to as a “micro grid or isolated grid”, can be defined as a set of solar electricity generators and energy storage systems interconnected to a channel of network which provides electricity to a regional group of people.
The choice of technology and design capacity of the mini-grids are seen to have been influenced by various factors, including the geographic and climatic conditions prevailing in the region, the prevailing policy, incentive frameworks for different technologies, the presence or absence of local supply chains for these technologies, and the socio-economic profiles of households at the micro level. Nigeria being the perfect combination of all the above-mentioned factors can derive the maximum benefits out of mini grids, both in terms of cost and quality. The rapid expansion of battery storage has further enhanced the flexibility of mini grids systems. Depending upon their ability, the mini-grids give power to family units, small businesses and for the needs of a community it provides drinking water supply, road lighting and power to schools.