KEY POINTS
- SON commissioned a 200-kilowatt solar power system at its Lagos laboratory complex on Tuesday.
- The project targets monthly energy savings of up to N15 million in diesel and electricity costs.
- Some SON laboratory tests run continuously for 72 hours, making reliable clean power essential.
Every month, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria was writing two checks it did not want to write. About N8 million for diesel. Another N6.2 million for grid electricity. The bills totaled somewhere between N14 million and N15 million, month after month, just to keep the lights on at its Lagos laboratory complex.
That changes now.
SON has commissioned a 200-kilowatt Solar Photovoltaic power system at the complex, a project funded by the European Union and the German Government through the Nigeria Energy Support Programme. Director General Ifeanyi Okeke said the system is expected to eliminate most of those energy costs. The target is savings of up to N15 million every month.
“The adoption of renewable energy will significantly reduce operational expenses and allow the organisation to channel resources into other critical activities,” Okeke said at the commissioning ceremony.
A partnership that started more than a decade ago
SON’s relationship with Germany’s development agency GIZ began in 2015 with a Memorandum of Understanding focused on renewable energy and energy-efficiency standards. That partnership has since grown well beyond policy. It now includes laboratory infrastructure, conformity assessment, capacity building and work on electric mobility.
One of its most significant outcomes is a calorimetric testing chamber for air conditioners at the SON facility. When operational, it will be the first of its kind in Nigeria and a reference testing centre for the entire West African sub-region. The new solar system will power it.
Head of Programme for NESP III, Duke Benjamin, said the installation provides reliable energy for the bioclimatic testing chamber and other heat-processing equipment in the complex. He described the project as part of a broader commitment to supporting Nigeria’s shift toward a low-carbon economy.
Why reliability matters as much as cost savings
Some laboratory testing processes at SON run continuously for up to 72 hours. That is not a system that can tolerate a grid outage or a generator that runs out of diesel at an inconvenient moment. Implementing Partner at ICEED, Dr. Segun Adaju, said the solar system was designed with exactly that reality in mind.
“The project was designed to improve energy reliability and reduce operating costs through the deployment of clean and sustainable energy solutions,” he said.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria also welcomed the development. Its Director of Sectoral Division, Oluchi Odumuko, said SON’s move toward renewable energy sends a signal that Nigeria is serious about building a modern, energy-resilient regulatory environment. She noted that reliable, affordable power remains critical to industrial growth across the country.
The project also supported the development of 13 standards for photovoltaic components and Minimum Energy Performance Standards for air conditioners.
