Nigeria powers up Africa’s ‘largest off-grid solar hybrid’

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
3.5MWp of solar PV, 8.1MWh of battery energy storage and 2.4MW of backup generators will supply more than 55,000 students, 3,000 staff and nearly 3,000 streetlights at BUK. Image: METKA.

The latest project to be switched on in Nigeria’s solar electrification programme for universities is also thought to be the largest ‘hybrid’ plant of its kind on the African continent so far, inaugurated this week at Bayero University Kano (BUK).

Sister title Energy-Storage.news reported towards the beginning of August as the first megawatt-scale hybrid project went into action at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State. Nigerian vice president Yemi Osinbajo attended that ceremony, heralding the launch of the wider Energizing Education Programme (EEP), being delivered through the country’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA). Osinbajo said then that the programme would result in the decommissioning of “hundreds” of fossil fuel generators. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

In total, 37 universities and seven teaching hospitals will benefit. In addition, the programme includes other initiatives such as encouraging young women into STEM education and jobs, while the latest project at BUK also includes the further benefit of powering hundreds of local street lights.

Phase 1 of EEP, funded by the Nigerian government, will help nine universities and a teaching hospital. Phases 2 and 3 are set to be funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank respectively.

See here for the full story as initially published by sister title Energy-Storage.news

Read Next

August 28, 2026
Importing solar modules to the US will “no longer make any economic sense” under new Section 232 tariffs for polysilicon-based products, according to Intertek CEA.
August 28, 2026
Solar cell and module manufacturer Canadian Solar has shipped 3.1GW of modules in the second quarter of 2026, a 60% year-on-year decrease.
Premium
August 28, 2026
Complex site topography can have a crucial bearing on a PV system’s energy yield writes Solargis CEO Marcel Suri.
August 28, 2026
Hawke's Bay Airport has opened an EOI process for the delivery & co-investment partners for a proposed 12-17MW solar PV plant in New Zealand.
August 27, 2026
US- and Canada-based PV module producer Heliene is among the companies trialling a new American-made solar glass currently being tested for sale in the US market.
August 27, 2026
Potentia Energy has completed its 98MW Quorn Park solar-plus-storage project in New South Wales, featuring a 20MW/40MWh BESS.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
February 2, 2027
London, UK