- Husk Power Systems aims to build 500 microgrids in Nigeria by 2026 under an Nigeria Sunshot Initiative it has launched
- This capacity will electrify 700 public health clinics, 200 private hospitals and 100 public schools in rural Nigeria
- It believes this will be enough to provide 2 million Nigerians with reliable renewable energy
Community solar hybrid-microgrids company Husk Power Systems has launched a 3-pronged strategy calling it Nigeria Sunshot Initiative to build a minimum of 500 microgrids in the African nation by 2026.
This capacity will benefit at least 2 million Nigerians providing them with reliable renewable energy establishing 400,000 connections, it claims. Husk estimates this to take off if not more than at least 25,000 diesel and gasoline generators offline.
Husk says this capacity will electrify 700 public health clinics, 200 private hospitals and 100 public schools in rural Nigeria.
Under its 3-part strategy, Husk will demonstrate accelerated microgrid deployment at scale, provide financing to purchase energy efficiency appliances for both households and Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), and thereby catalyze greater local socio-economic development by rolling our productive use activities as agri-processing and cold storage.
“With more than 90 million Nigerians still living without access to energy, the Nigeria Sunshot is a real-world demonstration that the microgrid industry is ready to scale, and drive rural economic growth with a net-zero, resilient solution,” said Country Manager of Husk Nigeria, Olu Aruike.
Nigeria aims to achieve universal electrification in the country by 2030 and needs 19.8 million additional electricity connections to achieve that. Solar microgrids alone can cater to 8.9 million of this. Husk believes its SunShot Initiative can provide around 5% of the connections.
Back in 2021, it commissioned multiple microgrids in Nigeria and expects to exit 2022 with over 20 such systems in operation.
This 500 microgrid goal is part of a 5,000 microgrids by 2030 target of Husk that’s currently operating in Nigeria and Tanzania in Africa. Husk’s management said it is in discussions to enter newer markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Recently a GOGLA report called for patient equity in off-grid solar to unleash its full potential (see Off-Grid Solar Raised $457 Million In 2021).
