Outlook bright as solar energy keeps Nigerian homeworkers powered up
Gbemisola Olowokere, 23, plugs her phone charger to an extension box unit powered by solar energy from Lumos in her home, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria May 6, 2020. Picture taken May 6, 2020. REUTERS/Libby George
In a hallway in Lagos, Gbemisola Olowokere taps contentedly on her laptop. The 23-year-old says the corner, underneath a sliver of window, has functioned well as a makeshift office since the coronavirus pandemic forced her to work from home.
But things didn't start well.
An employee of Salpha Energy unboxes a solar panel for home installation in Sagbo-Kodji community, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria April 25, 2020. Picture taken April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
"I had major problems," Olowokere told Reuters. "I have deadlines and things I need to submit ... and I couldn't, because I didn't have power."
Nigeria's notoriously sclerotic power infrastructure means fuel-powered generators provide at least four times as much electricity as the grid.
Most locals have generators, but few run them through the day due to cost, noise and - a growing health risk since the respiratory disease started spreading - choking smoke.
Beneficiary of Salpha Energy solar panel home installation, Recent Kodjo, lies on a wrapper in her room illuminated with a bulb powered by the installed solar energy, in Sagbo-Kodji community, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria April 25, 2020. Picture taken April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
Olowokere found her solution in a yellow box bought by her employer from solar company Lumos. Connected to a panel on her roof, it keeps her phone, laptop and WiFi running through the workday, as well as a music speaker.
Lumos is one of at least a dozen solar energy companies that have been competing to help fill Nigeria's power gap, and COVID-19 has made the need for their services more acute.
Since Lagos's lockdown began on March 30, Lumos has sold around 150 power units for home-based office workers for 100,000 naira ($280) each, half what it charges for its newest batteries.
A view shows solar panels installed by Arnergy Solar Limited at an isolation centre for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in Lagos, Nigeria May 1, 2020. Picture taken May 1, 2020. Arnergy Solar Limited/Handout via REUTERS
Rival Rensource's Keepwork unit retails for 180,000 naira. It runs on a solar panel small enough to be propped on a balcony, and can charge off the grid. Company founder Ademola Adesina said 600 have been sold since the start of April.
Arnergy Solar Limited, meanwhile, has installed solar panels at five medical facilities around Lagos state, and healthcare clients in other states have also purchased panels since the pandemic began, Vice President Azeez Onasoga said.
An employee of Salpha Energy installs a solar panel on the roof of one of the homes in Sagbo-Kodji community, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria April 25, 2020. Picture taken April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
(Reporting By Libby George; editing by John Stonestreet)
Children watch employees of Salpha Energy installing a music player powered by solar energy in their home at Sagbo-Kodji community, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria April 25, 2020. Picture taken April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade AdelajaPhilomena Yanuve, one of the beneficiaries of Salpha Energy solar panel home installation, adjusts her mosquito net in her room illuminated with a bulb powered by the installed solar energy, in Sagbo-Kodji community, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria April 25, 2020. Picture taken April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade AdelajaEmployees of Salpha Energy discuss as they arrive to Sagbo-Kodji community to install solar panels in some homes, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria April 25, 2020. Picture taken April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade AdelajaBeneficiary of Salpha Energy solar panel home installation, Peter Balogun and his family, pose for a picture in front of their home illuminated with a bulb powered by the installed solar energy, in Sagbo-Kodji community, amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lagos, Nigeria April 25, 2020. Picture taken April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
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