TO THE NAIRALANDER INTERVIEWED, I SAY KUDOS FOR HAVING A FINE CV. LEST I FORGET, LUCKY ART THOU FOR BEARING ADEYEMO INSTEAD OF AD'EBOLA'. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A SUSPECT. LOL!

BY THE WAY, MODS, WHY IS THEME OF THE THREAD AT VARIANCE WITH THE MAIN BODY OF THE THREAD?

Now what's this.
He made no mention of How to improve
Telecommunication in Nigeria
Talkless of How to improve electricity.
This is a bias FrontPage post.

Thumbs down Op
Same to person wey push am to the front

Vivipop: i can't reconcile the title of this thread with the content

I only read about a man Marketing his skills and Experience in ICT not NEPA !!

I would employ the dude sha , Hell of a CV in the Op !

fairheven: The solution to power problem is not rocket-science naa,let every state government build 1000MW of electricity,that will be 36000MW...that will virtually solve the problem of power in this country.but they are waitin for federal government.the federal government must also repeal the law that does not allow states and individuals to distribute power.

The law has been repealed. States can now build power plants, embedd it locally and distribute it locally. Unfortunately, most state governors are not interested in this. They'r busy playing politics while the citizens are mumuing

Sounds like, either self gratification, the interviewer seeking anyone to interview or I am completely going Gaga.
How has his multiple trips and roles, got to solve PHCN'S numerous inabilities?
Abi part 2 dey come?

greaterlove: 1000MW is even too much, let them build 300MW each and see how power situation in this country will improve, you can't tell me every state in this country can't budget about N50B in 2-4 years to make this happen.

God bless u,the reason I said a thousand megawatt; imagine if all the states have been doing at least 100MW every year since the return of democratic rule,,by now the thing go don reach 1000MW. Our problem is that we hardly plan beyond our noses,we don't see the future.

Sincere9gerian:
The law has been repealed. States can now build power plants, embedd it locally and distribute it locally. Unfortunately, most state governors are not interested in this. They'r busy playing politics while the citizens are mumuing

I didn't know that.in that case,Rivers state shud by now be power-sufficient,because the last I checked they were even generating more than they needed.

This is a waste of my precious time, what is the solution to the problem but you gave me a Auto-biography of the man!

Now i understand why we have many jobless youth in the country!!!.A click on the link would have sorted issues most of the posters are ranting about.Here is the rest of the interview where the interviewee talked about solution to power problem and youth unemployment

You certainly have been proactive. And now, you are back in Nigeria, what do you do?
I have set up my business in Nigeria called Arnergy. At Arnergy, we supply affordable solar energy solutions to homes and businesses. When I say affordable, I mean that there are two or three reasons why people have not gone solar in Nigeria, based on the customer development processes we have carried out. We found out that the cost and the perception of Solar are the two main hindrances. So what we have done is to work with reputable manufacturers from Europe and Asia, to be able to bring in our own OEM products, integrating the vital hardware of a complete Solar energy system like the Inverter, the charge controller, the AC bypass switch and the system control panel in a single box made us achieve smaller footprint at higher efficiency and at a very affordable cost that Nigerians are willing to pay. On the perception side, we are educating people that Solar energy is the messiah to Nigeria energy crisis and Solar energy properly designed and installed can power high energy consuming appliances like Air Conditioners, Microwave Oven, Iron , Washing machine and can power a whole office complexes and homes without burning cash on diesel or petrol daily.

And What has the reception been like?
I can tell you that on the street where I live for instance, we have about four homes that have gone solar completely, We also have homes in Lekki, Lagos that we have powered with our residential Solar energy solutions, with some pre-installation visits already done in Yaba, Surulere, Ikoyi and Victoria Island. Lekki is particularly known for epileptic power supply with some communities experiencing days of power outage but we have been able to put smiles on the faces of those residents with our 24hours affordable uninterrupted clean power supply, thanks to the sun. The reception is picking up and considering we started our operations in Nigeria only about five months ago, it can only get better.

Furthermore, word of mouth is circulating the news. Most times, when we go out to tell people about Solar, some people who have inverters installed at their homes or offices compare it with Solar energy, but we do educate them and tell them the difference between Solar energy and the inverter system is huge, they are incomparable, with Solar energy systems installed, they generate their own energy and become an independent power producer and do not need to rely on the commercial grid (PHCN) or generator to have 24hours power supply but with an Inverter system, they need to run generator every few hours or pray that PHCN provides them with electricity to charge the batteries. The inverter system also depletes the life cycle of the batteries very fast, since inverters can make batteries do as high as 4 cycles a day as against only 1 cycle a day for Solar energy meaning a battery storage system that will work 4 years with a Solar energy solution will only work for 1 year with the inverter only system. So, we have been educating Nigerians telling them Solar energy systems properly designed can power any office or home in Nigeria with uninterrupted power supply.

Is that what applies during the rainy season too?
Yes. Even when it is rainy, the solar modules generate electricity for you. The intensity might not be as high as when it is quite sunny but will still be enough to power the appliances on a daily basis. Another thing also is that renewable energy goes hand in hand with energy efficiency. What we do tell people is air conditioners and lighting in unoccupied rooms must be switched off as this allows other appliances that need power round the clock like deep freezers, chest freezer and refrigerators to always have 24 hour power.

C[b]an you tell us how you have found the business climate in Nigeria?[/b]
I can tell you that it has not been easy recruiting and we have actually spent a lot more time than we anticipated getting the people with the right skill set and mindset. That has been a bit challenging as well as finance, as we found the interest rate on loans is not very business friendly in Nigeria. So those are the two major challenges that entrepreneurs face in Nigeria. Having said that, there are enormous opportunities in Nigeria, and with a proven business, a huge target market, adequate scale strategy and tenacity, entrepreneurs will always found the business environment interesting.

Talking about funding, how did you find support?
To date, we have had to bootstrap the business as a proof of concept and now we have a profit generating company. We have a couple of investors who have signalled interest for equity investment as well as equipment manufacturers that have shown interest to partner with us. Our series A investment round is in the pipeline, We believe energy is the next boom in Nigeria, Nigeria only generate about 4000MW out of the 100,000MW required for us to be an Industrialized nation, only 40% of the country is connected to the commercial grid and the 40% connected barely has 3 hours supply a day, we are aware that investors are looking at opportunities to invest in the power sector of African largest economy, thus we at Arnergy are positioning ourselves for such investment to bring affordable, uninterrupted clean energy to Nigerians, eventually finance will not be a problem if we get our acts right. The cost of generating energy adds about forty percent to the operating costs of businesses and if that is taken out, companies won’t have to fold up in Nigeria and relocate to other African countries and the consumers would also have to pay less and our youths will be gainfully employed.

That is certainly inspiring…What are the long terms plans for Arnergy as a brand?
We see Arnergy getting listed on the Nigeria stock exchange in the next five years, an exit strategy for our investors and an opportunity for smart Nigerians to invest in the next big thing in Nigeria because we believe every home, every business and every village in Nigeria needs to go solar. In Nigeria, sixty percent of the population is not connected to the national grid. If we want to go by the conventional way of building fossil fuel based generation, transmission and distribution plants, it will probably take us another thirty years before we can say Nigeria is an Industrialised nation with constant power supply. But with solar energy, we can without any hassle or gas sabotage, have every state in Nigeria enjoy uninterrupted power supply, without damaging the environment. The impact of the green house gases are all out there, our climate is changing every day, global warming is real so we can’t continue with the norm.

Finally, based on your experiences, are there any particular tips you would share with people who are planning to move back to Nigeria?
First of all, be very prepared mentally, because it is not going to be the same situation you have been used to abroad. You also shouldn’t rush into investing on returning to Nigeria, give yourself some time to settle in and understand the Nigerian system.

Entrepreneurs should not wait until the whole country has 24hours power supply and the security issues are resolved or until all roads are paved. When those are fixed there is a good chance that the opportunities won’t be there any longer since the international conglomerate will be here then and would by default have the huge market share in whatever sector you intend to operate.

Finally, get a residential Solar energy system installed for your independent round the clock electricity supply and generate your own electricity; it doesn’t matter if you’ve lived abroad for twenty five years or one year, if you had experienced a year of uninterrupted power supply, and you come back and only have power for three to fours hours a day, it can frustrate you, and it might not be too long before you hop on the next available flight back.

First, This Guy has a wonderful C.V

Secondly, This Guy Knows His Trade Well

Finally, I will supass this portfolio.....

Fullstop

Wow, i have read the interview before. Glad the guy is a Nairalander. Can he open a thread on his service especially about it management and affordability.

spicyuzo: First, This Guy has a wonderful C.V

Secondly, This Guy Knows His Trade Well

Finally, I will supass this portfolio.....

Fullstop

gerraout joor! You should have posted it earlier.

One glaring omission to this so called solution is the expense to the user. Solar power requires high initial outlay for installation, is he going to provide financing? Solar panels in our dusty environment requires cleaning or the efficiency will drop, will he provide expert warranted servicing at reduced cost?

It's not a solution if he is going to charge N1million (for instance) for it. It will not make an sense to the average user

uzoexcel: what realllly s ur problem

Boss n0 be say i get problem 00000. Naaaa Hustling things J00000. I'm competing in a competition

LAUTECH, THAT IS THE FOUNDATIONAL PROBLEM
BLAME LAUTECH
THEN GEJ

Always read to Understand, the Solution ℓ derived from the Story is to search for Greener pasture. Migrate to ...

Solar power?
you have got to be kidding me!!!
every adebola,adamu and Nnamdi holds seminars on solar power generation and you come here thinking you are on the "eureka-mode?". lmao
No idea is original,there is nothing new under the sun!!!(ermmmm,except flying cars to beat the traffic!!!!)

kudos to you all tbe same!!!

Guykhena:

He was basically interviewed and asked about his life,and not what this rubbish "Title" of this thread stated

This op should be hanged

u are mad for saying my brother should be hanged how many of ur family member has such feats

Guykhena:

He was basically interviewed and asked about his life,and not what this rubbish "Title" of this thread stated

This op should be hanged

u are mad for saying my brother should be hanged how many of ur family member has such feats

While a very few Nairalanders clicked on the link to the rest of the interview, googled the company website and some have got placement as interns and free training to become an independent Solar Installer and be part of the solution to Nigeria Power crisis and youth unemployment, majority are blaming the OP and the Mod for posting the thread. Isnt this a case of students that will always fail even when you provide them answers to the questions but hidden at the back page of the answers booklet?