Complete off-grid electric source entails not connecting to any grid power source that will require regular utility bills.
Although as promising and reassuring as it may sound, it does not come easy on its own because even as costs associated with servicing of a shared grid, which comes in the form of bills, are eliminated, cost commitments in the form of installation and maintenance are still concerns. So, going total off-grid should come with options that will be cost-effective in optimal service in the long run.
Off-grid electric sources are often mentioned in renewable energy conversations because going off-grid with non-renewable electric sources will not be cost-effective and harmful to the environment. The familiar renewable energy sources that can be considered for a household off-grid electric source are solar, wind, and micro-hydro.
Going off-grid with solar power will be very effective in a tropical country like Nigeria with many sunshine (Learn more). It involves fewer moving parts and little maintenance. Its downside includes the durability of the system components, e.g., batteries and the panel, whose technology is still less than perfect.
Wind electric source in Nigeria is relatively modest, with annual average speeds of about 2.0 m/s at the coastal region and 4.0 m/s at heights of 30m in the country’s far northern region. Wind energy sources will require turbines, which have moving parts and will require regular maintenance. There is also a possibility of failure. The cost of maintaining a wind turbine is unprecedented in Nigeria as there is no known off-grid wind energy source in the country.
A micro-hydro energy source entails placing a turbine in a waterway, where the energy of the moving water, most times from a high level to a low level, turns a turbine and generates electricity. Certainly, hydropower is one of the cheapest energy sources for a shared grid, as it produces more power than the rest, involves less maintenance and the energy source is constant, but for an off-grid, the downside is it requires certain on-site conditions, eg: the presence of a flowing water body, thus, if you live close to a stream, you don’t have micro-hydro.
In sum, the cheapest off-grid electric source in Nigeria is the solar-powered electric system.