Renewable Energy & Entrepreneurship training for Dustbin Estate Youth (Lagos-Nigeria)

Solar Jooce has held an empowerment workshop for 10 youth from Dustbin Estate (Ajegunle community of Lagos state, Nigeria).

Day 1 of the Youth workshop, titled ‘Introduction to Renewable Energy (RE) and Entrepreneurship’, kicked off on 29th August 2014, at Solar Jooce offices in Lagos.

The objective of the workshop is five-fold:

1. To create awareness of affordable alternative sources of power (fostering knowledge of RE and all its benefits);

2. To unlock indigenous development potential i. e. encourage the Dustbin Estate community (particularly females) to adopt, and creatively utilise RE as an empowerment vehicle;

3. To positively impact communities by developing individual entrepreneurial skills with a view to these individuals establishing startup ventures in the RE field;

4. To engage Dustbin Estate Youth in a larger, long-term vision: transformation of Dustbin Estate into new improved, environmentally friendly modular homes – and for the youths to be active participants in integrating RE into the mobile homes;

5. For the Youth to become change agents that adopt, embrace and drive the concept of mass access to affordable renewable energy in their communities;

On Day 1of the workshop, Engineer Bassey Etuk and Dave Agbakoba (Solar Jooce CEO) spoke to workshop participants on the difference between Alternate Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC); the various parts of a basic solar unit (using an acutal portable solar generator); the correct orientation of solar panels; the role of charge controllers; various Renewable Energy applications, and so on.

The children were also taught the basic principles of entrepreneurship.

Day 2 of the workshop (30th August, 2014) holds at Dustbin Estate, and involves the practical installation of a basic solar generator, which consists of a solar panel, battery, LED light bulb, a fluorescent tube, table fan, built-in FM radio, phone charging kit, USB outlets, and an SD card slot.

At the end of the August workshop, youths will participate in an entrepreneurship competition, whose results will be judged by representatives from the Heinrich Böll Foundation (Nigeria) and the United Nations Habitat (Kenya).

The children will work in teams of 2 to produce ideas on how to launch (and sustain) a viable startup venture with a portable solar generator.

The team with the best submission will win a portable solar generator (and all its accessories), to help pursue their winning idea.

The 'Mayor' of Dustbin Estate - Tolulope Sangosanya - brilliantly co-ordinated participating members of the community.

Solar Jooce, DSTC collaborate in PV training for Nigerians

Yahoo Finance - This solar breakthrough could make you forget about oil

http://yhoo.it/1mKg2Yj

"For several decades, clean technology supporters have waited for the day when solar power truly achieved "grid parity." 

Everyone understood that this promising renewable form of energy needed to eventually compete with nuclear, oil, coal and gas -- without any government subsidies.

Much faster than anyone expected, we're almost there".

By dsterman May 30, 2014 

 

Much of sub-Saharan Africa is well positioned to leap frog past grid based power and should adopt off-grid renewable sources.  D. C Agbakoba. May 2, 2014                          

 

Life line - Safety, security and a window to the outside world

Our young women and girls desperately need a life line: http://aje.me/1kcoYID

2 years on...solar light built by Nigerian women still shines bright

It's been 8 months since Solar Jooce last saw Mr. Hassan, the micro business owner. Happy to note that his kiosk is still lit up by his phone charging solar lantern. The lantern appears well worn but still fully functional. This is remarkable considering his lamp was built almost 2 years ago by rural women in Oyo State. No parts changed, all LEDs burning bright and hand soldered parts still intact. Truly rugged piece of equipment.

Word of Mr. Hassan's solar powered lamp crossed the border to the republic of Niger. A herdsman visiting Lagos from Niger republic stopped by Mr. Hassan's to enquire about a larger solar powered unit with more lighting points and a table fan. Solar Jooce was contacted and was able to find a perfect fit for the herdsman. A more powerful yet portable solar home system (SHS), which includes a 12volt, 20Ah unit, with 2 separate LED lamps and a 20 watt panel was supplied. This SHS has the additional capability of running a laptop for field crews and weighs less than 10 Kilograms making it easy to travel with.

 

Oyo rural women make solar powered lamps

Semi literate rural women from Oyo State master a skill in four short weeks. Women trainees from four different local government areas (Iseyin, Oyo west, Itesiwaju and Kajola) came together to learn to build solar powered phone charging  lanterns.This empowerment program was a collaborative effort between Solar Jooce and British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF). Hertz rental (C&I leasing) provided crucial logistical support. The Solar Jooce/ACREST lantern was entirely designed and built in Nigeria in June 2012. The training was a Pan African effort, with participants from Nigeria, Kenya and Cameroun.

The idea behind empowering rural women through vocational skills training was threefold. Firstly to provide them with a substitute for expensive and unclean fossil fuelled lamps which they commonly use. Secondly to empower them to produce the technology they utilise. Thirdly to encourage rural women to start micro businesses that would form the building blocks of an energy corridor spanning from Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria to Abijan in Côte d'Ivoire.

Seun Alawode from Kajola, Oyo State crafting her Solar Jooce/ACREST lantern from a PVC pipe section

 Mr Hassan, a micro business owner in Lagos (approximately 350km from the Oyo women) uses a Solar Jooce/ACREST lantern to illuminate his kiosk and charge his phone.

Mr Hassan showing off his solar powered phone charging lantern in his kiosk.

Scaling up

Have not run a fossil fuelled generator in a year. Saved an estimated N30,000 a month and a whopping N360,000 (approx $2,250) over the past year in fuel costs. Will scale up with more panels and bigger battery bank for more Jooce.