Impact of renewable energy projects on rural Nigeria
More than 1.4 million unserved and underserved people in Nigeria have been impacted through the implementation of the Rural Electrification Agency’s 2023 Capital Projects, driven by several renewable energy initiatives. The REA’s recently released 2023 Capital Projects Implementation Report lists the renewable energy technologies used by the Agency and their socio-economic impact.
“Leveraging a data-driven approach to project implementation, the records of completed projects under the 2023 Capital Projects are aiding the alleviation of energy poverty, mitigating some of the baseline conditions and challenges of the beneficiary communities,” the report notes.?
“In the same light, the Agency has reinforced its approach to monitoring and evaluation, an ongoing process which will be sustained till the full delivery of the over the 447 projects in the year under review.”
Impact of renewable energy in rural Nigeria
Mini-Grids: The REA says it has sustained its data-driven approach to the deployment of solar hybrid mini-grids and standalone mini-grids for energy access, social development and economic growth.
Over 330kWp of sustainable energy capacity has been deployed through mini-grid technology in the implementation of the 2023 Capital Projects.
Solar Home Systems: Solar home system technologies remains one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies in the off-grid space, the report says.
Due to its ease of deployment to hard-to-reach locations and economically disadvantaged communities, the REA says it continues to leverage the SHS solution for energy access. 2,631 SHS units were deployed in the year under review, with a total capacity of 160kWp across all six geopolitical zones.
Solar Powered Irrigation Pumps: As part of the REA’s agri-energy efforts targeted at improving agricultural productivity and food security in rural areas, it kicked off the deployment of the innovative solar powered irrigation pumps for irrigation farming.
1,668 solar water pumps have been deployed through the 2023 Capital Projects, with a total installed capacity of 200kWp, impacting over 24,000 hectares of farmland.
Solar Streetlights:?To sustainably improve security and safety through the illumination of border corridors and crime-prone locations, the REA Capital Projects has enabled the agency to install standalone solar streetlights across the six geopolitical zones.
More than 18,300 solar streetlights were installed, covering a distance of over 500 kilometres. “The implementation of the 2023 Capital Projects has so far enabled the REA to exploit a range of energy access solutions targeted at delivering sustainable energy to the unserved and the underserved, while alleviating energy poverty and its resultant effects on socioeconomic growth,” the report says.
The REA says it is keen on tying all energy access solutions “to the real needs and unique socioeconomic cultures across all the six geopolitical zones of the nation.” Impact in the six zones: North-West States (261,461 people), South-South States interventions (184,697 people), North-Central States and the Federal Capital Territory (348,879 people), North-East States (291,628 people), five South-Eastern States (132,148 people), five South-Western States (236,297 people).
These include businesses, farm clusters, households, local markets and junior/secondary schools.?
The REA says it is strengthening its community engagement mechanism, leveraging the community-led Rural Electricity Users Cooperative Society (REUCS) to ensure ownership, safety, and sustainability of all energy access projects deployed to rural and underserved communities.?
In looking to ensure community inclusion as well as accountability in the delivery of energy access technologies, the REA says it must continue to ensure documentation through the issuance of site possession form at project kick off and site handover form upon project completion, “giving the beneficiary community quality assurance of all technologies deployed.”
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FAQs about electricity in Nigeria?
Is electricity reliable in Nigeria?
According to Afrobarometer, only?13% of Nigerians enjoy a reliable electricity supply from the national grid.
How many Nigerians live without electricity?
The World Resource Institute says more than 85 million Nigerians do not have access to electricity.
Does Nigeria have loadshedding?
For years, power cuts, outages and blackouts have been a daily reality for many in Nigeria.
How much power does Nigeria have?
Nigeria?generates most of its power through thermal and hydro, with an installed capacity of about 12,522MW, according to the US International Trade Administration.