Last week, I visited the solar mini-grid in Gbamu Gbamu, Ogun state. The mini-grid was developed by Rubitec Solar with the support of the German government and the European Union. The 85kWp solar mini-grid is located in a farming community within the Omo Forestry Reserve in the state. The mini-grid, which was commissioned in February 2018, is one of the financially sustainable mini-grids in the country; it holds some valuable lessons for ensuring sustainability for subsequent solar mini-grid projects.
I would share some key takeaways from my visit to Gbamu Gbamu (or, as the locals say, GG).
Anyone can be Energy Efficient
Stepping into the community during the day, you would doubt the presence of electricity, seeing as there were barely any lightbulbs on. Although virtually every connected household/building in the community is fitted with Energy Saving LED bulbs, most buildings are only lighted during the night when lighting is needed. Instead, community members depend on the sun and breeze to meet their daily lighting and cooling needs. While this could be attributed to a need to save on energy costs given the higher tariffs mini-grid consumers pay compared to grid-connected consumers, it also shows that energy-saving culture/behaviours can be learnt/adopted given the appropriate conditions.
Boosting Agro-Processes with Energy
The major cash crop being produced in the community happens to be cocoa. Given the ubiquity and reliability of the energy supply in the community, I found it odd that farmers still resorted to drying their cocoa beans via sunshine. Enquires indicated that although electric drying equipment exists in the community, the sun is a preferred drying method. It produces the quality of dried beans that the farmers want (or are used to).
Agro-communities like GG need ‘custom-made’ agro-processing equipment and appliances to meet their specific agricultural produces demands. This presents an opportunity for local manufacturers and research institutions to work with these communities to develop produce-specific equipment to ensure they can take advantage of the constant energy supply.
Do We Need to Prioritise the Service Industry?
In GG, the only places I saw using considerable electricity during the day were service providers, including bet shops, videogame operators, barbing salons and restaurants. The case for increasing productive energy use in mini-grid communities usually focuses on improving agro-processing and agro-allied businesses. The fact that the largest energy users in a farming/agro-community were services providers is a testament to services’ role in the economy. Proposals for increasing energy use in rural communities should also identify what services could be established or improved. This will inform the type of support in terms of appliances/equipment needed to ensure optimal energy utilisation and mini-grid system sustainability.
Customer Relations is Key
It is easy to discount consumers’ experiences or invalidate their concerns, given that access to electricity was more or less a pipe dream until a couple of years before. However, service delivery in a mini-grid community goes beyond the provision of stable/reliable electricity. Therefore, consumers need to (from time to time) know that their complaints and concerns are attended to however little they may be.
Consumers connected to the grid have various complaint address mechanisms to relay their complaints to the regulator. However, for mini-grid consumers, there seem to be no such mechanisms. Instead, consumers have to rely on the mini-grid operators to address concerns and complaints. Often, these consumers do not feel heard as complaints are not addressed, nor are challenges communicated effectively.
Ensuring sustainability requires promptly addressing customers challenges and ensuring transparency. Consumers still believe that the mini-grid system is their best option for electricity access, not their only option.