Hello Friends, we have added some additional power solutions to our catalogue.
We have added RaLiza Premium sun powered solutions for your home and small business for less than $3.00 per Watt.
WOW!!!!
Author: AWPS Renewable Energy
I shot this video today in Wantage, while visiting a solar farm. When the project is complete it will generate 10 MW of electricity, that is not dependent on natural gas, diesel or hydro. Nigeria anticipates that in 2020 she will produce 10,000 MW. This small facility using solar panels will produce 1% of the power that Nigeria anticipates feeding to her grid. This little facility will produce 3% of what Nigeria currently has going to the grid. Solar is proven. Solar is inexpensive. Sunshine is abundant in Nigeria. Watch the video and you will notice the absence of the sun. That has not deterred the builders of this 10 MW or .001 GW system from building a system. It makes economic sense to have solar as part of the energy solution in Nigeria. We have been asked questions about the reliability of Solar Power. Solar systems built today are very reliable. They have proven to be dependable sources of energy for large office buildings, mass retailers and governmental agencies, supplying megawatts of energy. Some of the largest companies in the world have buildings powered by solar energy, including eBay, WalMart, and the US Air Force. Talk to us about our RaLiza Basic, Premium and Ultimate line of home solar solutions. For your business ask us about our Minona line up to 200,000 Watts (200 Kva). Your business will love you for it. Come and let’s harness the power of the sun and take back our environment one person at a time.
Last year I spent a period that spanned two months in Nigeria. There was not a day that they had electricity for more than 1 hour. My mother who lived in Ladipo had power that could not power a light bulb for the 6 days I spent at her place. Every night the generators came on and the noise and smell assault you till daylight. Most visitors to Nigeria come back with respiratory ailments that they did not experience in the past. The financial impact to the economy is such that it is estimated that self power generation reduces the per capita income of the Nigerian by more than 33%. Nigerians spend (a conservative estimate) N1.6T every year on generators. Nigerians spend the highest amount per kilo watt hour $0.55c compared to the industrialized world.
With all these challenges faced by Nigerians, we want to be a part of the solution. Photo Voltaic cells have been around since the 1800’s. In 1967 the Russians powered Soyuz with Solar Cells.
In 1977 President Jimmy Carter installed Solar Panels on the White House. Solar power has been around for longer than most of us have been.
It is very mainstream in Europe, the United States and China. China is on course to install more solar capacity that the United States this year. The United States last year over took Germany in installed Solar Capacity with over 10 GW of installed solar capacity with much more to come. What makes this all the more impressive is that the United States does not get anywhere as much sunshine as Nigeria. Today Nigeria produces less that 3000 MW and the plan is to produce 10000 MW by 2020. South Africa produces over 50,000 MW and suffers from rolling blackouts. Nigeria’s energy independence has to include renewables. Nigeria can generate over 120,000 MW from solar alone.
We all need to join our hands together and reclaim our environment. We can start by enlightening our neighbors about alternatives to generators. We did a cost comparison for a prospective client. We compared his N550,000 generator to a N2,400,000 Solar Home System. We used a fuel consumption figure of 2.2 liters an hour and a cost for diesel of N120. The generator was run for an average of 10 hours a day. That generator uses 22 liters of fuel everyday or 8030 liters a year. That generator cost him in fuel alone N963600. His N550,000 generator has cost him over N1,500,000 the first year alone. Lets assume he used half as much in fuel, he still spent over N500,000 on his generator in year one. Our assumptions are that it does not break down and there is no fuel scarcity. The black market rate for fuel is higher.
You solar generator still cost you N2,400,000. It does not make any noise, does not emit any smoke, does not require repairs and runs twenty four hours a day without fuel.
You have harnessed the power of sun to run your home. You did not pollute, you have kept your environment healthy. You did not have to worry about carbon monoxide, electrocution, incompetent mechanics or security guards stealing and selling your fuel.
We have systems for the house from 600 W to 20,000 to meet you needs. Call us at 973-200-8397 x 121 or send us an email at info@atlanticwastepower.com
We would like you to be a client or an ambassador. Education is key in the adoption of solar power in our home country.
Together we can make a difference and save the environment.
Categories
Generators: The Silent Killer
Happy New Year to all of you. We were told about problems people have had with generators in Nigeria and we decided to do a search in the Nigerian papers to confirm if these problems were common. This is what we found. A disturbing trend that we hope to help our readers avoid.
Read some excerpts below.
“RECENTLY, a new-wed couple choked to death from generator fumes in their new home on the outskirt of Calabar, Cross River State. Around the same time, in Ibadan, Oyo State, a 69-year-old man passed away along with seven other members of his family after they were overcome by fumes from a portable generator that was running on the first floor of their home. Reports indicated that the level of fumes inside the home was three times the danger limit.
Prior to this incident, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, two teenagers died from generator fumes poisoning because the generator they were using to power ceiling fans was too close to the room in which they slept. Much later, in Agege area of Lagos State, a middle aged man who was running a generator in his basement died in his sleep when the generator fumes infiltrated his bedroom.
In yet another incidence somewhere on the Lagos mainland, a 30-year-old man who went to bed with his family while a generator was running in his garage, also died along with them as a result of the close proximity of the device. In Abuja, between June 2012 and March 2013, four people died in separate incidents as a result of poisoning from generator fumes.” Vanguard October 9,2013.
This was what happened on May 28, when Mrs. Chinyere Celestine, and four of her children were found dead in their home off Goodnews Street, in Azikoro suburb, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
They were said to have died in their sleep that night, while the generator was still on.
The father of the children and husband of Chinyere, identified as Celestine, who was said to be in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when the tragedy occurred, had called a neighbour when he could not reach his wife on telephone the next day. After several attempts to wake the victims, the neighbour raised the alarm that compelled other neighbours to force the door open. They found the victims
Join us in welcoming a new year. 2014. This is a year full of promise and an opportunity to make a difference.
We want to thank you for your emails and questions. We will answer the most immediate and then create a FAQ section to cover the most commonly asked questions.
Is Solar Power reliable?
Yes: It has very few moving parts. With advances in electronics the main system the Inverter and Charge controller are pretty durable. It is important you purchase a quality product. You get what you pay for. The Solar panels or PV’s usually last 20 to 25 years with very minimal maintenance. The batteries last between 4 to 5 years. Some systems have had batteries last longer than 8 years. Batteries require monthly checks.
Are the lights as bright as what I get from the grid or a generator?
Yes: Most high quality Inverters are pure sine wave systems. They work best on your lights and sensitive electronics. You will not experience any flickering or spikes. As long as you have enough energy stored in your batteries, the inverter will provide clean strong AC power.
Can I increase capacity in the future?
Yes the system is fully scalable. Some inverters allow you to chain them so you can double the capacity of the system. You can also add additional solar panels (PV) and batteries to increase the capacity and efficiency of your system.
Please watch this short video from the US Department of Energy that tells you more about Solar Power.
Let us help you harness the power of the Sun. Email us at info@atlanticwastepower.com for more information on our solutions. We can also design a custom system for your home in Nigeria.
Categories
Solar Power 101
How do solar panels convert the sun
A few months ago, I heard off and saw a new device in Nigeria called an Inverter. I was visiting a friend of mine who lived in Gbagada phase 2 and as I was leaving I noticed a battery box and an electronic device in her foyer. I asked her what it was and she told me that it was an Inverter. She bought one to minimize using her generator. The system is plugged into the grid and recharges the battery when there is electricity and then when “NEPA takes light” the inverter takes over.
The definition of an Inverter as per Wikipedia. “
| Criteria | Diesel Generator | Solar Generator |
| System Type | Portable diesel generator set | Portable Solar generator |
| Cost | Lower initial cost, high running costs due to fuel consumption | High initial cost, virtually free for lifetime. |
| Maintenance | Require periodic maintenance such as oiling of parts and replacement of moving parts | Minimum maintenance required due to no moving parts. |
| Pollution | Noisy, smoke discharge and greasy residues.Also harmful for the environment | Soundless, no discharges.Environmentally friendly. |
| Efficiency | Will consume fuel and produce constant energy regardless of load consumption. Most of this energy is wasted. | Will store extra energy and supply it when required. All energy is utilized. |
| Cost per kWh | Increases with fuel prices | Free after sometime. |
| Return on Investment | None | Cheaper than grid power over its lifetime. |
| Reliability in Rugged Conditions | Will function when required, but lifetime will be shortened by environment. | Will function when required, and is ideal for sunny countries. |
| Fueling Costs | Requires fuel to be transported to location and manually inserted into tank | No cost for fuel. It is automatically charging at all times in the sun. |
| Set Up Time | Will have to be refueled before being used | Deployed in a few minutes. |
| When Not in Use | Nothing will happen, though fuel level will have to be checked before reuse | The generator will retain charge. It will continue to charge as long as exposed to sunlight. |
| Towing from Location to New Location | Refueling needed when moved to a new location | Generator will charge en-route, ready to be used when arriving at new location. |
| Life Time | 3-5 years with daily use | Up to 25 years. |
A few weeks ago I read that Nigeria had more than 60 million generators. Considering that the average Nigerian experiences less that 3 hours of electricity, you can begin to imagine the noise. I was in Lagos in September and October and I can tell you that it took me over 3 days to sleep through the night. The noise was over whelming.
I am sure you can begin to imagine the pollution from these noise makers. At night the smells from the improperly tuned engines assaults the eyes and the nose. You begin to understand the reason people have perpetual colds. The cost in fuel and repairs are never considered by the average Nigerian. What he looks at is his upfront cost. For N35000 they can purchase a generator. What nobody tells them is that those cheap generators are deadly for laptops, TV and sensitive electronic devices. The power supply for my laptop caught fire while using one of these cheap generators. The other one destroyed my fathers phones and would not charge my Kindle.
How do we resolve this challenge using a renewable resource? The ideal would be for many of these homes to have a permanent and complete Solar installation. The challenge is that most people are very reluctant to cough up the upfront cash. In America we have finance and tax mechanisms that makes Solar affordable. With net metering you get a reduction in your electric bills. In Nigeria there is no such mechanism.
So our solution is a hybrid. A solar generator. It offers portability, lower upfront cost and very minimal cost to run.
What is a Solar Generator?
A solar generator is a box that you can plug into an outlet to provide power to your home. In place of a gasoline or diesel motor, it uses solar panels to generate the power that you use. You purchase a generator, hang the panels outside and you are ready to go. Think about a solar generator as a shrunken version of a complete solar installation.
We carry solar generators. Like gasoline generators they come in different capacities. They are pure sine wave generators that work well with sensitive electronics. Reach out to us for yours..