Experts in Nigeria have revealed that given the history of Nigeria with epileptic power supply, a growing number of property owners are investing more into solar power.
In 2016, solar energy became a very topical issue for property and energy experts in the face of Nigeria’s failure to generate sufficient electricity for its citizenry.
Private Property spoke to a cross section of Lagos residents and we gathered that while several neighbourhoods have witnessed a surge in the use of functional solar panels, many others are yet to fully embrace alternative source of energy.
Neighbourhoods in Lagos using solar power include Toyin Street and GRA in Ikeja, Ogba, Yaba, Bode Thomas, Lekki, Ikoyi, Banana Island, Magodo, some parts of Agege and a few other parts of the Lagos Metropolis.
Parts of Lagos where residents have not witnessed a rise in homeowners relying on solar energy include Mushin, Alimosho, Ikorodu, Ojota, Akute, Makoko, Alakuko, Abule Egba and a long list of others.
The electricity concern
We should point out here that Nigeria had a peculiar problem with electricity. According to the World Energy Council, on average, Nigerian households have access to less than 600-kilowatt hours a year of electricity, compared with a global average of nearly 3,500-kilowatt hours a year.
To put the problem of electricity into perspective, a good reference would be the story of the refrigerator bought by Todd Moss, the Vice President and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. The graph below shows electricity consumption across some African countries when compared to Moss’ fridge.