Solar Inverting Powered System for sustainable rural economic growth

(Case Study of Ilaro, Yewa South Local government Area)

By

Ojo, B.A & Ajibodu, F.A

Electrical Engineering Department

The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State

E-mail: babajide.ojo@federalpolyilaro.edu.ng

E-mail: Ajibodu@federalpolyilaro.edu.ng

Abstract

One of the most frequent challenges in the developing countries of the world is the non-

availability of affordable and reliable power supply access to the rural dwellers. An

inquisition to the livelihood of rural populace mostly Ilaro community reveals that things

are not smoothly ran. Some of the greatest difficulties have been centered on affordability

and sustainability of the service provided. The power system designed would be based on

the surveyed community needs, as a result of their energy audit that will be calculated for.

However, the normal daily activities suggest a clear huge potentials that are imbued to

those areas as they are bound to be sustainable and stable in economic growth but

bedeviled with challenges of less or no rapt attention from the government. The paper

would favored system decentralization and local solutions that are independent of the

national grid, hence, pave way for the flexibility of the system and aiding economic

benefits to small scale and isolated populations. We found out that it is possible to use

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solar inverter powered system inform of a model to proffer immediate solution to power

system need with the rural community .To provide power supply to their various lightening

activities that could offer a source of income for the community at large in Ilaro and its

environs .With the final implementation of the model that will be set-up, it is believed that

this would allow the rural populace to develop economically and therefore ensure the

sustainability of the solar inverting power supply. The strength of the renewable energy is

investigated and described. The study depicts the characteristic condition of the area in

question are supportive and thereby predict a clear prospect of the work. As a result of this

recommendation(s) will be given on more feasible ways that it will be operative and find

beneficial for future demands. It is therefore, imperative and demanding to exploit a viable

and effective alternative to rural access to power supply for sustainable rural economic

growth.

[Key words: Developing countries, Economic growth, National grid, solar power, Inverter]

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Naturally, Nigeria is blessed with abundant renewable energy resources especially the like of

Solar energy gotten from the sun (Oyedepo, 2017). A lot of potentials due exits which can be

adequately harnessed into useful energy. As it’s can be seen that very many citizens of Nigerian

lives in rural areas with very little energy or no access to the power supply. The insufficient

power supply which is constantly experienced have resulted into many domestic, commercial,

and industrial energy demand that would otherwise be made available are not met by the

populace. This has caused reduction in loss of revenue to be generated by the Ibadan Electricity

Distribution Company (IBEDC) and a lot of distress for electricity final consumers in the rural

areas where average daily temperature may go as high as 26-40oC in some states.

This transforms to absence of basic amenities and the resultant effect being a constant migration

from such areas to urban centers where there are social amenities (Zamil, 2017). This

movement will always be experienced in every part of the nation where there is a total neglect

and marginalization of their fundamental functions. However, this trend is not economically

viable to our country as the urban areas tend to be more populated and more stretched in their

facilities with other attendant consequences whereas the rural areas, where basic or primary

production takes place is virtually depleted in population leading to a drop in this aspect of

production, with the greatest sector affected being the agricultural sector 0f our economy.

Consequently, renewable energy technologies can be adopted and applied in the rural areas

where the national grid has not yet been extended to. Rural electrification, community water

projects and other things can be achieved with the use of renewable energy (Mawhood &

Gross,2015) .This will enhance energy access in such areas and further improves their standard

of living thereby discouraging and curbing migration from such places to the urban areas.

Furthermore, the use of renewable energy skills like solar energy does not only increase energy

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access and aid in providing social amenities, it also has the capacity to generate employment

opportunities which will culminate in curbing rural –urban drift in Nigeria.

A per capita electricity consumption of 32.47Kwh per annum was estimated in the year

2013.Most rural grid –connected household have blackouts of up to 20 hours a day. As at the

year 2000, less than 10 % of electricity generated in the country goes to the rural area which

is rather too inadequate to meet the development objective of the rural areas of Nigeria (Zarmal,

2017). Since the availability of energy is an important precondition for developing the rural

economy and improving the people’s living standards, it is imperative therefore that the extent

to which the country could meet the growing demand for energy in the rural areas in a

sustainable way will significantly affect its economic growth and well-being of its rural

dwellers. This paper therefore reveals the importance of using solar inverting powered system

to improve energy access in rural areas and also contribute to the industrial and economic

growth of Nigeria.

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2.0 THE PROPOSED SOLAR INVERTING POWERED GENERATION SYSTEM

(SIPGS)

The proposed SIPGS is a variation of renewable source energy supply for less developing

countries. It uses Photovoltaic system (PV), with a battery bank as a source of power supply

(Tiruvadi et al, 2013). It takes its source of energy which is harnessed through PV cells and

converted into utility DC power using a solar charge controller. Thus, the cost of energy is

minimized and the supply is sustainable (Oyedepo, 2012). Further, the type of load expected

to be used with the clustered/scattered model in figure 1 is the specialized energy –saving loads

of purely DC loads in form of LED lamps, electronic gadgets, refrigerating, ceiling fan etc.

The system model is shown in the block diagram of figure 1.It utilizes a bank of 200Ah deep

cycle batteries charged by a 150W solar PV system through a charge controller. Every user

with their respective loads are connected to the power house. DC energy is ultimately supplied

to the purely DC load that would be able to illuminate the working environment of the

populace. Once the batteries become fully charged, the charge controller switches off the PV

in other to protect the batteries. More so, the controller also incorporates a sensing system that

aid in detecting the night time and turns on an array of LED security lights.The epileptic power

supply has forced citizens to look for alternative source of power. Stand-by generators are

common usage with Nigeria being reported as the highest importer of standby generators in the

world (Muhammed, 2017). Ilaro with average of 4 hours of electricity daily, the option of using

standby generators is inevitable. Figure.1 shows the solar radiation map of Nigeria.

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Figure 1: Solar radiation map of Nigeria (Stephen et al, 2012)

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The Nigerian energy industry has been described as probably one of the most inefficient in

meeting the needs of its customers globally (Iwayemi, 2008).

User 1 User 2
User 6

Power House SOLAR

• Solar House PANEL
• Inverter House ARRAY
• Battery Bank

User 5
User 4 User 3

Figure 1: Clustered/Scattered Model of SIPGS

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 User 1 Solar
array

User 2
array

User 3 Solar
array

Figure 2: Embedded Model of SIPGS

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3.0 AIM/OUTPUT OF RESEARCH

➢ EDUCATION

The provision of solar inverting powered system for sustainable rural economic growth can

be looked at in these directions. The areas at which SIPGS would be of great importance to

educational sectors includes

• Scholars

• Politics

• Farming

• General awareness

➢ AGRO-ALLIED NEEDS

The research work would be useful in the aforementioned ways and our targeted aim of

making life and economic growth of the rural populace be realized.

• General Awareness

• Government /Non-Governmental Funding

• Agric. Loans &Facilities

➢ SECURITY OF LIVEHOOD.

➢ OTHER CRAFT ASIDE FARMING INCLUDES

• Co-operatives & Innovative

• Welding

• Automobile Repairs

• Light/Medium Scale Industries

• Hair Dressing and Barbing salons

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3.1 SUB-URBAN /RURAL BENEFITS TO THE IMMEDIATE URBAN SOCIETIES

Basically, the area of our case study been Ilaro in Yewa South Local Government Area is

known to major in farming activities. The Ilaro community is very adept in FUFU Processing

and they are able to feed their immediate urban societies such as Sango-Ota, Abeokuta, Owode,

Lagos, & Sagamu just to mention a few. Recently, there is an ongoing plan to begin the export

of the processed form of their produce to the neighboring African countries. As a result of this

initiative, it will enhance the growth and sustainability of Ilaro economic as a whole (Petinrin

& Shaaban, 2014).

4.0 SUSTAINABILITY

One of the factors that militates against sustainability of infrastructures situated in rural

environments is the level of education of the residents who doubles as the direct beneficiaries

of the facilities (Jakub & Marcela, 2016). This is due to the fact that majority of the rural

dwellers are not well informed about what it takes to have such things installed in their

environment. Another factor is that they are ignorant of the ultimate benefit of having advanced

infrastructure in place.

In other to beat this, it is a proven fact that when the users who are the beneficiaries of any

installed facility doubles as the one who is saddled with the responsibility of taking care of the

said installation. In this regard, it is the same people who will mount guard to ensure that

nothing adverse happens to the installation.

In other words, the needed operations on the infrastructure will be handled by the users with

just little training and orientation.

Aside of the care for the infrastructure, if the users are billed in other to serve as a payback for

the cost of what they are using and also to carry out possible upgrading in the near future, they

will tend to care for the facility.

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When the users are able to ascertain that it is profitable on the long run, there is every possibility

that the system will see the light of the day. The resultant effect of this is that more of it will

be welcomed as time goes on while the existing one will be demanding for an upgrade.

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5.0 CONCLUSION

Mankind will always crave for better life, therefore if this research is well implemented, the

first result will be a qualitative improvement in the level of education of the rural dwellers vis

a vis exposure in all ramifications from politics to health and environmental security. Their

lives and that of their wards and children will definitely be improved. Furthermore, their level

of sensitization in the area of their core activity will be enhanced that is Agriculture since the

chief complaint from their end is always neglect and marginalization. They will be able to

follow up on any governments’ policy as it affects them and they can be proactive when any

ravaging misnomer is about affect their business negatively.

Lastly, other parallel vocations and crafts will also thrive when there is an enabling

environment particularly uninterrupted power stemming from a renewable source, upgradable

and self-sustaining.

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 References

Iwayemi, A., (2008). Nigeria`s Dual Energy Problems-Policy Issues and Challenges.

International Association for Energy Problems. Website: www.iaee.org

Jakub &Marcela. (2016). procedia- Social and Behavioral Science. pages 496-505

Mawhood & Gross, M. (2018). The energy collective.

Muhammed, A. (2017). Use of Solar Panel at Rural Areas in Bangladesh. International

Journal of Science and Research (Ijsr),issn (online ).2319-064.

Oyedepo, S.O. ,(2012). Energ Sustain Soc . Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp.2-15.

Petinrin, S. &. (2014). Renewable energy potentials in Nigeria :Meeting rural energy needs ,"

Renew. sustain .Energy Rev., . https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321184680,

pp.72-84.

Stephen. (2012). Solar Radiation map of Nigeria. www.researchgate.net.

Tiruvadi. (2013). Rural Home Power Inverter Using FPGA Technology, Int J Emerging Sci

Eng,. Advances In Multidisciplinary & Scientific Research, 1(6) pp.5-9.

Zamal, I. (2017). http://www.researchgate.net/publication/321184680. Retrieved from

http://www.researchgate.net/publication.

Zamil, W. (2017). www.quora.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018

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 Appendices

Plate 1: Some women working at Odo-Fufu in Ilaro

Plate 2: Cross sections of rural dwellers at work in Patiko

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