The Bayero University, Kano on Wednesday energized Nigeria’s first megawatt scale hybrid solar project in Nigerian university and the second in the whole country.
At the launching of the project, the project engineers, Muhammad Buhari, mixed around 600kw of solar photovoltaic energy into its campus power supply.
Mr Buhari, an MIT-trained electrical engineer, said it is the first time a MW scale hybrid solar system is successfully implemented in a Nigerian institution and the second in the country after the Lower Usuma Dam project in Abuja.
“The BUK project is even upgraded with research component. It is however first MW scale renewable energy project led and managed by a Nigerian engineer in Nigeria,” said Mr Buhari, who holds PhD in Integration of Renewable Energy into Power Systems.
“The feat was made possible after the successful completion and commissioning of a 1MWp Solar power plant by a technical team of experts and supported by Enerwhere Nigeria Ltd through the Solar Nigeria Project (of the DFID).
“The 1MWp system is the flagship project of a DFID funded programme together with a Nigerian university and is the largest project of its kind in the country by any Nigerian government institution.
“The project will help the university save on huge costs of diesel, utility bills and increase the reliability of electricity supply on the old campus.
“In addition, the project will enhance the employability of its students through training and will generate huge investment interest in this sector in Kano.
“More importantly for Nigerian universities, it is a huge opportunity to trigger research necessary to develop capacity to answer important questions related to the local community, the national grid, electricity markets, and environment.
