Nigeria can rid its solar PV industry of toxic projects, sham operators and promoters, if its governments would stay away from aid-related solar projects, the CEO of GVE Projects Nigeria, Mr. Ifeanyi Orajaka, has said.
Orajaka, said in an exclusive interview with OGN, that the country’s governments across board could help the emerging solar PV market and by extension the renewable energy industry sustain its gained momentum if they would agree to stay off patronising bogus solar promoters.
Over the years, Nigeria has had a bad experience with solar PV installations and usage with huge amounts of government’s commissioned solar projects falling below standards.
Often contracted in social intervention schemes, the projects are mostly given to lackeys of the governments with inadequate knowledge of solar PV project implementation.
When appropriated, these projects are subsequently passed down to operators after huge cuts have been shaved off from the original costs, thus leaving the operators with the discretion to install below average systems which most often pack up few months after commissioning.
But in his analysis of the current trends in the country’s renewable energy market, Orajaka pointed to this as the most significant impediment to the growth of the market.
He said: “Well, in terms of the market’s readiness, there is a lot of mixed feelings from several failed projects that were commissioned by the government in the past, but graciously a lot of serious-minded players are now very active in the sector and implementing projects that are viable and can serve as reference points.”
“Gradually, people are beginning to believe in the efficacy of this solution and this is becoming transformatory to getting the market move off the ground. The government on its parts, can now pay more attention to the sector just like it did to the mobile telecoms sector, to help it scale up.
“If the government shows more interests and attention to the market on the basis of its merits, and equally move away from aid-related projects to projects that are commercially sustainable from design, that would help move a lot of bad practitioners that are in the sector and benefiting from it, this would also significantly drive efficiency,” Orajaka added.
