By Adedapo Adesanya
As part of efforts to drive further adoption of energy alternatives, Schneider Electric, has shared sustainable approaches to providing resilient and clean energy in Nigeria and the world in general.
The digital energy multinational at a recent innovation summit held in Maryland, US, hosted top pioneer companies in the microgrid space to discuss the way forward in the industry.
Speaking at the event, Schneider Electric Group Chairman and CEO, Mr Jean-Pascal Tricoire, addressed how industry experts, through software and technologies, are making the digital, electric world a reality.
He also posed that organisations across the world can accelerate digital transformation by choosing the right technologies to achieve a wide range of sustainability goals, like microgrids.
Adding her input on Schneider’s aim for upscaling the energy world in Nigeria, Microgrids Expert, Schneider Electric, Ms Teina Teibowei, mentioned that carbon emissions from the power sector in the country reached around 11.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020.
She stated that existing technologies could reduce these emissions by 70 per cent and engineer a healthier energy world for humans across the world.
In addition, she shared a core point for organisations wishing to adopt microgrids in Nigeria on the use of the Energy-as-a-service funding model for seamless project execution.
“The Energy-as-a-service model limits technical and operational risk while delivering on reliability and cost-effectiveness. Schneider Electric is strong with an extensive network of partners in West Africa to deliver on this solution.”
With the recent sustainability dilemma facing the world, rapid transformations in technology across all sectors, and the tripled advancement of cars, computers, phones, and daily technologies relied on, there is an ever-increasing demand for more energy than the 20th-century technology for technological power advancement.
Microgrids are self-contained electrical networks that draw from on-site energy sources and can operate independently of the grid. They offer straightforward solutions for elevating energy resilience and clean energy. Thus, they are a key 21st -century solution for powering 21st-century technologies.
According to, Mr Babajide Ogunlesi, Regional Product Application Engineer, Schneider Electric, the use of microgrids is participating in the resolution of the energy challenge in Nigeria by paving a sustainable path to electrification, as well as providing innovative energy solutions to drive cost-efficiency for homes and organisations.
He also mentioned a key point to note when building a microgrid, which is to start with a rightsized microgrid design to optimize cost efficiency as there is no one-size-fits-all microgrid.
“It is essential to right-size at the design phase of the microgrid for it to deliver measurable
energy-cost efficiency. Factors to consider are the specific load to power, the load requirements at any given time and the demand sources.
“Taking the time to design the solution properly avoids ending up with an under or over-sized microgrid. The goal is to tailor a solution that is just right for the user’s energy needs,” he added.
Schneider Electric has committed to providing energy and automated digital solutions for efficiency and sustainability in every home, industry, infrastructure, and data centre by combining energy technologies, real-time automation, software, and services.
