Solar power cuts university energy costs, education minister says

Nigeria is moving to take its universities off the national grid, Education Minister Tunji Alausa said, arguing that dependable solar power is essential to a modern campus.

The off-grid systems are being deployed under the Energising Education Programme, which the Rural Electrification Agency is executing. Alausa said the initiative aims to improve learning conditions by shielding lecture halls, student accommodation, laboratories and university hospitals from recurring outages.

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We are taking our campuses off the national grid with dedicated solar power. You cannot build a modern university system where students cannot read at night, laboratories lose power in the middle of experiments, and hospitals attached to our universities are forced to run on noisy, expensive diesel generators.

He said unreliable electricity and high utility bills had undermined academic stability, disrupted scientific research and weakened campus life. “We are taking our campuses off the national grid with dedicated solar power. You cannot build a modern university system where students cannot read at night, laboratories lose power in the middle of experiments, and hospitals attached to our universities are forced to run on noisy, expensive diesel generators,” he said.

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The burden of electricity tariffs has been one of the heaviest strains on university finances. Instead of universities sinking hundreds of millions into electricity bills every single month, funds that should be expanding faculties or buying equipment, we are solving this structurally with clean, captive energy that operates around the clock.

Alausa also described electricity tariffs as a major strain on university finances. “The burden of electricity tariffs has been one of the heaviest strains on university finances. Instead of universities sinking hundreds of millions into electricity bills every single month, funds that should be expanding faculties or buying equipment, we are solving this structurally with clean, captive energy that operates around the clock,” he said.

The minister presented reliable, self-sustaining power as part of the administration’s wider human capital development programme and its effort to build globally competitive research institutions. He added that the Renewable Energy Asset Management Company had been created to maintain the installed mini-grids. “As Minister, I don’t just want to leave projects that will deteriorate after two years; we are aiming for sustainability that will last beyond my tenure,” he said.

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As Minister, I don’t just want to leave projects that will deteriorate after two years; we are aiming for sustainability that will last beyond my tenure.