Nigeria is still a leading producer of oil but the country suffers from fuel shortages from time to time. As the price of crude begins to recover slowly, there is a tendency for the political establishment to cling to the hopes of another $100 per barrel era in the near future. But reality on ground indicates that the reign of oil has peaked and its permanent descent is now certain. But then for Nigerians who are cautious about costs, solar panels are relatively cheaper in the long term if one plans the switch well ahead.

Ibadan, Nigeria | 27 March 2016
As the Easter celebrations give way to the end of the first quarter of 2016, more than any other subject, the long queues for petrol across Nigeria reminds me that holidays aren’t just periods for festivities but also for individual reflections on matters that disturb society.

Whilst many Nigerians are gearing to visit leisure spots as part of the celebrations, I have decided to stay back at home to reflect at length on the energy crisis which our country is embroiled in.

To start with, while I mean no harm to my generally friendly neighbours—some of whom have also decided to enjoy the time off in their own residence, the terrible noise and noxious gases emanating from my 6.5 horsepower gasoline generator is a rather unwelcome but inevitable nuisance to the relative tranquillity of my compound.

But then, without my Binatone generator I couldn’t complete this article which has been delayed due to countless power outages in the last week! I have even had to part with one thousand naira (US$5) to purchase overpriced fuel from unscrupulous filling stations in the last three days. Despite the unease, I forge ahead in my musings and one particular recollection stands out in my head as I try to shut out the droning noise of the generator.

Abuja, Nigeria | c. mid 2000s
Just a little over a decade ago while former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was still at the helms of affairs at Aso Rock, a visiting dignitary made a remark which I would never forget during a summit in the Nigerian capital. The American figuratively said that, “the [American] Congress is currently debating on how to share the lunch of oil-producing countries by developing technologies that will make oil useless.” He later added that, “Nigeria and other oil-producing countries should, at least, beg for part of their lunch.”

The American’s argument made sense to my Pregraduate mind. I was eighteen or thereabouts then. And I think the man left some impressions on my president who I saw scribbling notes as he spoke. I had never seen President Obasanjo take notes before so, I thought, “That man must be very brilliant!”

Ibadan, Nigeria | 30 March 2016
Today, I think otherwise.
As an African on whose continent civilisation began, it is an affront to “beg for part of [my] lunch.” Why would I or anyone beg for part of their sustenance when there’s so much abundance for a yearlong feast?

Yes, oil has become cheap, and it will yet become cheaper when most of the developed world would have weaned their dependency on fossil fuels altogether before the end of this century. When that ominous time finally comes, Bonny Light might become almost as useless as dust from the Sahara but then, Nigeria has more than enough sun to power its territory for a thousand centuries.

Nigeria’s geography confers on the country enormous opportunities for shifting towards renewable energy. First, our location within the tropics guarantees a dependable supply of sun. Recently, I travelled to Abuja from Lagos. While Nigeria is generally a hot country, the cooling effect of the Atlantic Ocean modulates the weather on the coast to a lesser degree.

So I was less prepared for the heat that welcomed me when I deplaned at the airport in the federal capital. Worse still, the air conditioning within the terminal building was not functioning. As I sped away toward the city, I realised how much energy the country could generate from placing solar panels on the rooftops of residential and public buildings.

In my apartment, the monthly electricity consumption totals about 164kWh and this costs around four thousand naira ($20). I offset power outages by my generator; and on an average, I spend about five thousand naira ($25) per month on the generator. In a given year my total energy bill on my residence is almost $600.

If I were to switch to solar power and stay off-grid completely, it will cost me around a small fortune in the short-term but in the long run, I’d pay less for my energy needs and I’d certainly become a better neighbour! So how much does it really cost to switch?

Lagos, Nigeria | 04 April 2016

It’s my second visit to Nigeria’s largest city and economic nerve centre this year in the space of three weeks. As usual, the queues for fuel has made Lagos’ notorious traffic situation even bleaker. I’m staying with a friend in a busy neighbourhood in the mainland district of the city.

But while his entire compound is being drowned out by the pollution of huge generators, my host and I are enjoying peace guaranteed by electricity from inverters. My friend has installed inverters that recharge power batteries in his flat whenever electricity is available, and supplies it when there is power outage. I asked my friend how much it had cost him to install the inverters.

“The installation of the whole station cost about 160,000 naira,” Adebanjo Adeniji said. “The two batteries cost 50,000 naira apiece, the inverter, cable and rack was about 50,000 naira and then I paid an installation fee of 10,000 naira to the technician who set it up.”

Since Adebanjo rarely gets electricity from the power company, his monthly energy bills are quite negligible. Throughout my weeklong stay at his residence, the total period of power supply was less than 10 hours. I knew my friend had made a wise decision when he decided to invest in rechargeable batteries.

Even though Adebanjo’s energy needs are being met to a greater extent, he still needs to buy fuel for his generator to power the batteries. At a time when fuel is being sold at close to 400 naira per litre on the black market, it would cost a small fortune to run the inverter round the clock.

But what if he’d gone further to install solar panels?

I spoke to the CEO of a Lagos-based company that installs solar panel. I realized that the energy needs of a household and the availability of space (usually rooftop) are the two major factors which ought to be considered when deciding to stay off-grid.

“If you want to install a 1.5KVA capacity system, the price ranges from around 500,000 naira to almost 2 million naira,” Harris said. “On the other hand, the 3.5KVA version cost between 1 million naira and 3.5 million naira.”
Whilst the costs of switching to solar panels is a bit steep given that the per capita income in Nigeria is slightly above $3000, in the long term a switch will yield enormous savings.

Even though the cost of switching is steep, a step-by-step switch might be the way to go for middle-class Nigerians. For starters, a household may opt for a 1.5KVA capacity system which will supply the family with energy for 6 hours at a total initial cost of 500,000.

In 4 years with additional annual doubling of their installed capacity, a household may run their residence entirely on energy from the sun and may even have enough to sell to the local power distribution company.

Of course, as more Nigerians switch to solar energy, the unit cost of installation will certainly fall as the sector becomes more competitive and new technologies are developed.

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Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Opinion article written by Kolawole Talabi