Access to Electricity in Odighi Community in Edo State Using Photovoltaic

This project was implemented in Odighi Community, located in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Southern Nigeria.

Before the implementation of this project, the community was not connected to the national electricity grid and thus lacked access to electricity. This forced many of the inhabitants to rely on diesel and petrol generators for electricity supply for those who can afford to buy generators. Majority of the community people used kerosene lamps for lighting at night. This situation exposed them to various respiratory disease associated with the burning of hydrocarbon based fuel to generate heat and light energy and also increased poverty level as they spend more of their household income on unsustainable domestic energy sources. The project was embarked upon to increase access to modern energy services (electricity) in Odighi Community using solar generators (Photovoltaic systems); to build capacity in the community to install and maintain photovoltaic system; and to create awareness on the potential for renewable energy technologies (RETs) to address the energy crisis in Nigeria and at the same time mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases.  A total of 40 stand alone PV systems were installed for 40 household in Odighi Community.