The Federal Government has commissioned a solar hybrid power project with 3MW of AC output capacity and 2MWh of battery storage at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, to provide more reliable electricity for teaching, research, laboratories and digital services.
The project, delivered under Phase II of the Energising Education Programme, combines a 3.3MW solar array with battery storage designed to provide power to critical loads after solar hours.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, commissioned the project on Wednesday in collaboration with the Rural Electrification Agency and the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project.
Tegbe said the project demonstrated the importance of linking investments in energy infrastructure with human capital development.
He said the solar facility would support learning, research, healthcare, technology, administration and the digital infrastructure used across the university.
The project also includes 388 streetlights to improve campus lighting and security.
Tegbe said the government was considering extending electricity from the project to university hostels and other areas that are not currently covered.
“We will make sure that in the next six months, every other area will be covered,” he said.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, said the Energising Education Programme had so far delivered renewable energy infrastructure to 22 federal universities and three affiliated teaching hospitals.
According to him, more than 100MW of clean energy has been deployed under the programme.
Aliyu said the programme was designed not merely to install solar panels but to provide universities with more dependable power for students, lecturers, researchers and laboratories.
He urged Yakubu Gowon University to use the new facility as a platform for research and training in renewable energy technologies, including battery storage, grid integration, smart metering and energy management.
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The Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, said reliable electricity was essential to the university’s academic and research activities.
He said the project would support the institution’s laboratories, digital services, teaching and innovation programmes.
The project also includes a Renewable Energy Workshop and Training Centre and a female STEM component, providing additional opportunities for training and research in renewable energy and technology.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said reliable electricity was fundamental to the effective operation of educational institutions and urged the government to sustain investment in the sector.
The Federal Government also urged the university community to protect the infrastructure from vandalism, stressing that security agencies were being engaged to safeguard national assets.
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Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
