An alternative power supply expert, Engr. Adebola Anofi, has taken a swipe at Standards Organisation of Nigeria and one of the products of the telecommunication giant, MTN Lumos Solar System.

According to the founder and CEO of White Consults Technology, Engr. Anofi claimed that neither is SON a yardstick to measure qualities for products nor MTN Lumos Solar System, popularly known as MTN Yellow Box, a true alternative source of power.

He made this known during Freelanews Leadership Session organised by Freelanews, an online news platform, while speaking on the topic How To Attain Maximum Productivity Through Eco-Friendly Alternative Power Source in an exclusive WhatsApp group.

There is no gainsaying that the clamour for stable power supply has been a desirable factor for a while now. Recently, there was a total break-down of power supply due to national grid collapse; crippling businesses and driving the economy to a stand-still.

Engr. Adebola Anofi, CEO, White Consults Technology Limited

During discussion, he revealed that the woes of small business owners have been compounded as the urge to switch to alternative power supply was made unattractive by the huge cost of diesel, unavailability of fuel and so many other factors.

“Alternative power solution is the Option B that we all have when there’s no supply from Power Holding companies. About two decades ago, moving into the second civilian regime, the power situation in the country began to deteriorate due to so many factors. This brought about the increase in demand for generator set as our preferred alternative power solution.

“You’ll all agree with me that the hazard attached to use of generator set is unlimited, which range from noise to air to environmental pollution,” he said.

With a professional degree in power above ten years, Engr. Anofi has led White Consults Technology in providing alternative solar power supply for about eight years now and have delivered several projects across Nigeria and beyond.

“Due to the pollution cause by generating set and other challenges the owners face, the demand for inverter as alternative source of power has gone up,” Engr. Anofi stated.

The alternative power expert, however, advised that consumers should choose solar inverter over power inverter as the latter is dependent on either the unstable discos or generator to recharge its batteries, unlike the former that is recharged by sun light.

During comparative analysis, Engr. Anofi was able to convince participants on the cost effectiveness of an inverter over an average generating set.

“An average generator set costs N50,000, fuel for 5hrs/day is N1,000 (N30,000 for 30days and N360,000 per year), engine oil per year costs N24,000, maintenance cost per year N24,000 and the overall total is approximately N480,000.

“An average 2KVA power inverter costs N450,000 with an average of 12hours power supply per day and maintenance cost of N5,000. The total cost is N455,000.

“When you look at the number of hours harvested from both machines, you will agree with me that an inverter is a worthy investment,” he said.

Price list of inverters

The expert also emphasised the need for consumers to get appropriate batteres with cycles commensurate with their load values in order to enjoy longer battery lifespan.

“If you buy a very good battery from a credible vendor and you abide by the guiding instruction then it should serve you longer and you will get dividends of money spent.”

While agreeing that solar powered inverter is not the only type of alternative power source available to Nigerians, he revealed the reason the solar powered inverter enjoys general acceptability with Nigerians.

“We have solar, wind, biomass and hydrogen. However, the commonest is solar due to the good sunlight we are blessed with because wind requires a large mass area for effectiveness.

“But in this country that everybody is a land owner and almost no breathing space. This has limited the deployment of wind solution,” he said.

While explaining the reasons behind inverter system’s failure, the expert advised that consumers should always deal with certified vendors for purchase and installations.

“Let’s start with the people (buyer) before touching on vendor (seller). We buy products based on cheapest price without trying to understand the technicality of what we are buying because the average Nigerian mind is programmed to look for cheap things. And that is why we end up going for less quality stuff that leads to project failure.”

Engr. Anofi also blamed the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, a federal government agency saddled with ensuring the importation of quality products into the country, for allowing substandard products into the market.

“It’s also rather unfortunate that SON has failed in its duty as the organization is in the habit of rubber stamping any jagbajantis (low quality products) and allow it floods our market.

“When a vendor brings in a substandard product and companies who want to make quick sales propagate it and sell to end user, the project ends up failing,” he revealed.

He added that the issue of unstable light also contribute to the system failure.

“And lastly, we have the power issue. Charging your inverter system with bad power supply will gradually damage your battery.”

He revealed that his company has been running off grid for complete four years now.

“Inverter is an alternative source of power if you go for a solar and a supplementary source when you go for power inverter. I shared testimony of our Lagos office that has run completely off-grid for 4yrs with no generator nor PHCN.

“Let me quickly point out that White Consult, my company is a lead partner to Sterling bank and Dangote group. We handle all solar projects for their staff and customers in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. And these two companies have mandated that any staff or outside customer procuring an inverter solution must buy solar with it,” he revealed.

During a question and answer session, a participant, Ronke McCauley, a well known documentary producer, asked, “My main challenge is that I travel a lot and it seems to affect the battery life. What’s the best way to preserve the battery in that case?”

Engr. Adebola Anofi, CEO, White Consults Technology Limited, receiving an award on behalf of his company recently

“Well, a few factors will have to be considered. How long is your period of being away; if it is less than 6 to 9 months then you will have to buy wet cell battery (tubular). To be on the safer side, move your system to a corner of the house, where you will be comfortable to give an outsider (technicians) access. So, the technical team swing in after 3 to 4months and run 15-20mins maintenance and the shut it down again. Remember, they are rechargeable batteries. So they can’t be idle for long. NEVER!” he responded.

“Are there clients you render such services for and does your company bear liability on security of these properties when the owners aren’t available?” another participant asked.

“Yes, on the average we have about 30 clients who are fully based in diaspora. Infact, we grouped them in this order Ileya Entries, Summer Entries, Xmas Entries and Retiree entries. These four sets of people are always away. They come in occasionally and we have been delivering good services with just phone call in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt,” he responded.

Ben Adenle, an IT consultant, asked, “Educate me sir, if I have 4 1.5HP A/C, 2 chest freezers, use coffee makers, electric kettle and microwave, what would you recommend?”

“The 7.5kva is my pick. Though I will ask if the 4ACs are very crucial and must be used together,” Engr. Anofi responded.

A participant asked, “One last question from me. Is MTN Lumos inverter (a.k.a. Yellow Box) unnecessary product serious Nigerians should stay away from?”

“It’s a scam that even MTN had to silently dissociate from,” he responded, “There are so many of them; MTN Lumos, Battery Kings and others. It is just a battery with about four bulbs and one table fan without inverter or battery. Those don’t even cut out as alternative source of power as you can’t connect them directly to your appliances. You need to get dedicated DC appliances separately to use those devices.”

While speaking on the training programme offered by his company, Engr. Anofi revealed that it is an avenue to create new entrepreneurs.

“Our training session is N100,000 for three months. It cuts across theoretical learning, practical on-field sessions, market survey and analysis, site auditing to mention a few. It’s a rigorous exercise and anyone who goes through it will testify,” he stated.

Freelanews Leadership Session is owned by Freelart Limited, publishers of Freelanews magazine.