SEMINAR RECAP ON THE TREASURED ENTREPRENEURS ASSOCIATION TEA HALL OF WEALTH MEMBERSHIP GENERAL ACTIVE GROUP PAGE
👉🏼Theme:
❤ Engineering & Entrepreneurship
💚 Alternative source of electricity supply in NIGERIA…
*Solar panel business in Nigeria
*Production,sourcing, installation,marketing and sales…..
🎤 SPEAKER/FACILITATOR/DISCUSSANT
🗣 Engineer Gboyega Kadiri…
Good evening colleagues, ladies and gentleman
It is indeed my pleasure and an honour to be making a presentation on this honoured TEA platform.
I am humbled….
I hope our day went well
To begin, how many of us have electricity supply (light) at home right now?
Well, to begin with we shall be exploring the need for an Alternative source of electricity supply and the business aspect of it
Electricity supply in Nigeria has recently worsened than ever before, leaving Nigerians scrambling for alternative ways of powering their homes and businesses.
The government has repeatedly blamed sabotage of power installation as well as attacks on gas facilities for the constant outages.
We can therefore no longer fully depend on them
A lot of businesses have closed down following the irregular power while millions of citizens unable to afford generators now live in darkness.
Even powering the fuel and diesel generators are no longer easy
Also, many households running on generators constitute environmental and noise pollution hazards to themselves and their neighbors due to the noise and smoke fumes that emanate from generators.
These are reasons citizens need to consider cheaper alternative energy sources that are noiseless and require neither petrol nor diesel.
This is exactly what will make us to look into solar panels
Or better put solar source of energy
Permit me to give some fundamental explanations on solar panels or PV panels before we look at the business aspect of it
A Solar panel consists of an array of photovoltaic cells, connected in series and parallel to deliver rated voltage and power. The PV cell is made from pure Silicon doped with an element like Boron to create an N-type and P-type layer.
when a PV cell is exposed to sunlight, energy-carrying particles in light called photons continuously strike the P-N junction area of the cell and are absorbed…
Solar panels are a major component of a solar energy system.
They are connected to a solar inverter to deliver electrical energy to appliances in the home or office.
When used with a regular inverter, the solar panel is connected to the inverter via a solar charge controller.
The solar charge controller connects the solar panel to the inverter battery.
A Solar panel can last 10 to 30 years depending on type and/or terrain.
I hope this jargon aren’t confusing.
Let me put it in a simple term for better clarity
A solar panel is just a panel that draws energy from the sun
It is component 1 in a solar power system
The energy it draws from the sun is saved in a battery with the aid of the solar charge controller
It is the energy in the battery that we now use at our convince
For home and office applications there are basically two types of Solar panels to choose from:
- Monocrystalline Solar Panels
- Polycrystalline Solar Panels
Monocrytalline solar panels were the first type of solar panels.
They are usually black and the most popular in the market.
They are more appealing to the eye and have better efficiency. They are however more expensive
The polycrystalline solar panel are usually blue and are cheaper than monocrystalline solar panels. They are also said to have a better temperature tolerance than mono panels.
HOW TO START A SOLAR ENERGY INSTALLATION BUSINESS IN NIGERIA
Starting a solar energy installation business in Nigeria has tremendous potentials most especially for the developing solar energy industry.
Because of the epileptic power supply, this business is doom to flourish.
Nigeria lies between a high sunshine belt and thus, has enormous solar potentials.
Some of the tools needed to excel in this business are as follows
- CAPITAL
Solar energy business is one of the hottest businesses around and with the growth in alternative energy, this permanent trend is going to continue. But starting a solar panel installation business will not be an easy task but it is sure lucrative.
Substantial capital is required to successfully set up a solar energy installation business, the capital cost of starting a small-scale Solar energy installation business will cover installation training and certification, necessary tools, business registration and insurance, marketing.
- GO FOR TRAINING
Basic knowledge in solar energy is required to be a successful technician in solar energy installation, hence certification in solar energy installation is important and should be undertaken by any one interested in establishing a business in solar energy, basic knowledge in solar installations, construction, inverter installation, wiring, rooftop installations of panels is a must have requirement and identifies you as a professional. - REGISTERING YOUR BUSINESS AND GETTING A CERTIFICATION
Starting up a solar energy installation business is an option you should seriously consider by registering as a limited liability company with the corporate affairs commission and necessary regulatory bodies. Also registering the business name and opening a corporate account gives your company a professional view among end users. - GET AN INSURANCE POLICY FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Part of running a business is figuring out how to balance all the different aspects of your work and that means that you’re constantly running numerous projects, meeting with clients and then and installing solar panels.
Because all instances involve a level of risk where someone could get injured or something could go wrong, you need to make sure you’re protected if the unexpected happens. The insurance you need to consider may include, Personnel compensation coverage, Liability Insurance cover.
- CONNECT WITH WHOLESALE SUPPLIERS
When you have successfully set up a solar energy installation business, there is the need to interact and connect with solar energy panels suppliers, offering them your installation and after services - ACQUIRE INSTALLATION EQUIPMENTS
Just as a mechanic needs special tools to work, there are various tools available to solar energy installers who strive for successful installations of solar systems for their customers.
The roofing type on a building have unique characteristics that require specific tools to install solar panels on it.
The number of technicians you need for the business will depend on the scale and size at which you started.
- NETWORK AND ADVERTISING
Advertise your services in local newspapers and social media channels, Post flyers at electrical sores and supplier’s,
once your business starts, you’ll be able to cut back on advertising as more and more of your clients begin coming through referrals.
Demand for solar energy is on the rise.
Due to increasing concerns over global warming and a desire to reduce energy costs and personal carbon emissions, an ever-increasing number of consumers are weighing solar power as a serious option.
Getting a solid customer base is essential in the solar panel installation industry.
Basically the major way to get customers for your solar installation business is to go out and explain the benefits of solar energy and show potential customers features and benefits of different systems in their homes and for their businesses.
At this point, let me summarize all I have put forward so far
There is a serious need for alternative energy source, the safest of which is solar energy
There is a good market out there for any serious entrepreneur
It is capital intensive but we can all get involved at different levels
Level one: retail and install
For this level, due to finance, we can buy some solar energy components like the solar panel, charge controller, solar bulbs, solar fans, batteries and sell in bits.
We can sell accessories.
And can do installations
Small solar solutions from about 8W to 80W are not really expensive
A complete 8W solar solution including the panel battery and four bulbs costs less than 20,000 and can give power continuously for 6hours when fully charged
Level two: import and wholesale
This level is capital intensive and anyone interested must follows the steps earlier highlighted above.
It is money spinning as well.
This is due to the fact that there are different ranges of solar solutions depending on the customers load.
Some solar solutions cost as much as 6million for an installation…
Level three: Manufacturing
This is about the highest business category here.
Even the government are still trying to make a breakthrough in it.
But why not give it a try, if the capital is there
Let us make up our mind in this free trade zone
For now, the discos are blaming TCN, TCN Is blaming the gencos and the gencos are blaming government
It is time to take advantage of the situation.
The people want an alternative.
You have to make them know that solar energy is safe and reliable
I hope with the few points, we have been able to understand a few thing about solar energy as an alternative source of electricity supply
And have an idea of what going into its business looks like
Once again, it was my pleasure being here tonight and I pray that Almighty God makes it a stepping stone in our lives
I sincerely thank and appreciate our coordinator, and all the esteemed members of this platform
This is where we shall pause for tonight
TREASURED ENTREPRENEUR ASSOCIATION 