JUST IN: AEDC powers factory with first grid-solar hybrid electricity supply in Abuja

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) has partnered with Daystar Power Solutions and The Wood Factory Limited to launch Nigeria’s first grid-connected and solar hybrid power solution for commercial and industrial customers.

This comes on the heels of the first interconnected mini-grid power solution for communities in Nigeria launched by AEDC and its strategic partners in Toto, Nasarawa State, in November 2023.

The current agreement ensures Wood Factory, a leading furniture manufacturer, will receive 18 hours of reliable electricity from AEDC and 6 hours of solar power from Daystar, seamlessly integrated for a consistent and cost-effective energy supply.

This hybrid system is projected to slash Wood Factory’s energy costs by a staggering 44% and reduce its carbon emissions by an impressive 76% annually.

The project is part of AEDC’s ongoing transformation, aiming to redefine customer experience for all, including underserved communities. Christopher Ezeafulukwe, AEDC’s Managing Director, emphasized the company’s commitment to “using diversified energy sources to serve our customers better while closing the supply gap in our market.”

He said “We are excited about the great opportunities that the transformation and turnaround of AEDC is giving us to serve our customers, both new and existing, in more delightful ways. This project is a product of our consistent questioning of the status quo in the resilient push of our conviction and belief in using diversified energy sources to serve our customers better while closing the supply gap in our market.”

Ezeafulukwe added that having previously commissioned an integrated power solution to serve some unserved communities in their network.

“The current solution for which we signed the agreement today, is focused on serving industrials and commercials, thus repositioning AEDC to serve all bands of customers within its network better. The two projects also confirm to the world the readiness of AEDC to enter into complementary partnerships that will add great value to the Nigerian electricity market,” he said.

AEDC has been in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) through which the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) provides funding for feasibility study grants and facilitates the optimization of energy supply through distributed solar energy and grid power.

Jasper Graf von Hardenberg, CEO of Daystar Power, sees this as “just the beginning” of a new era for clean and affordable energy in Nigeria.

The Wood Factory’s Director and General Manager, Mohamed Akar, expressed his enthusiasm for the transition to a more reliable and sustainable power source. “We believe that the future of our business has become brighter with this new partnership,” he said.