Which Solar products are really in Nigeria and for how much?

Lately, there seems to be a lot of talk about the need for Nigerians to embrace Solar power more especially now that the world is going green and the Power company cannot promise us reliable power for the next 20 years or so.

The problem I've seen with a growing number of solar companies who market and sell solar products is that they are not given people sufficient information, providing adequate products as well as being transparent about how much it really costs.

It had been reported by the Minister of Power, Professor Nebo that Nigeria needs at least 200,000 MW of power just to supply the needs of every home but is still generating just under 5000 MW as at 2014. Given that scenario, it's probably going to take about 20 years for every Nigerian home to have sufficient electricity given the pace of things now.

This means that Nigerians of this generation might have to start taking the bull by the horn and no longer rely on the PHCN for sufficient power and besides, that sort of power is only getting more and more expensive.

Nigeria has an abundant supply of Solar energy and being the biggest market in Africa as well as the larges economy, it would only make sense if companies and individuals actually start investing in Solar products.

I've seen a lot of adverts by companies that sell solar products but most of their products range tend to be a bit too limited. Which exact solar products do they sell and for how much? People need Solar products that can solve their immediate needs and even replace their generators.

There are not much Solar products available in Nigeria compared to what is readily available from manufacturers abroad. You might get to see some solar panels, solar lanterns and so on but I've been looking for little things like Solar charges for laptops and mobile phones but I'm yet to see them.

People need Solar products that can help them see at night, watch tv and even satellite tv as well as for cooling. I'm yet to see any companies that are advertising solar products that are related to such things like entertainment, cooling as well as battery recharging.

Most people run small generators worth about N40k every night and on fuel just to power their light bulbs and run their fans but I believe if they had something like a Solar product that can replace their generators, they would go for it.

Another problem with getting Solar products to Nigerian consumers is on the issue of the cost. Most people don't really know how much it would cost and are a bit concerned that it may be above their budget. I believe there are solar products that are suitable for everyone's product.

Let's take an example with Mobile phone Solar charger. A lot of Nigerians would not mind paying up to NGN50 per day just to charge their mobile phone batteries and if you calculate this for 3 months, it totals up to more than N3000. Now, if they can get a Solar mobile phone charger that costs around N3000 that can last up to a year and still be able to charge their mobile phones, they would definitely buy it.

Imagine if they are able to sell those Solar mobile phone chargers to all the Okada riders in Lagos who stay mostly in the Sun, I think that would be a great sale.

Another problem with Solar products in Nigeria is on the issue on quality. Some solar products are made with low quality and some are made with high quality. You'd find that most of those low quality chargers tend to work for a short time and have short life span than if it were the high quality ones.