NigeriaOff-grid power for schools and institutions

Nigeria Institutional Off-Grid Solar Supply

For schools and training centres on unstable grids — a ground-mounted solar array with battery storage, self-consumed by day, stored for the evening and switched in automatically during outages.

Ground-mounted solar array with storage for an institution in Nigeria

Challenge

Institutional grid supply is unreliable, affecting daytime teaching and equipment, while outages leave lighting and critical equipment unpowered — and roof conditions are limited.

Solution

A ground-mounted solar array with battery storage, run through an off-grid or hybrid inverter for daytime self-consumption, surplus storage and automatic outage switchover.

Result

Daytime teaching loads are largely self-supplied, lighting and critical equipment stay running during outages, and dependence on the grid is reduced.

Project Overview

Project Scale: 3–10 kWh storage + 1–3 kW ground-mounted array
System Configuration: Ground-mounted solar array + battery storage + off-grid or hybrid inverter

Solar feeds teaching equipment directly by day, with surplus stored for the evening and outage periods.
Ground mounting avoids roof dependency and simplifies maintenance and expansion — suited to sites without usable roof area.
Sizing requires daily consumption, critical loads, outage duration and whether grid-tied/off-grid dual mode is needed.

Case Study

Customer pain points

Daytime teaching depends on an unstable grid

Schools and training centres sit on an unreliable supply. When the grid fails during class hours, teaching equipment and lighting go down immediately and lesson schedules have to be reshuffled.

Roofs cannot carry a PV array

Institutional buildings usually have sheet-metal or ageing roofs with limited load capacity and usable area, so a conventional rooftop PV design cannot be installed.

Critical equipment drops out with the grid

Outages do not only kill the lights: server rooms, printers and communication equipment also lose power, which disrupts day-to-day operation.

Sizing against peak load overspends

Institutional demand is concentrated in fixed daytime hours. Sizing against peak load rather than average daily consumption leads to clear over-investment.

How we solved it

Ground-mounted arrays instead of rooftop

We use ground-mounted PV arrays, which free up the roof, are easier to service and can be expanded later, sidestepping roof load and area limits.

Size from daily consumption and outage length

We start from measured average daily consumption and typical outage duration, then set storage at 3-10 kWh with a 1-3 kW array, instead of sizing to peak load.

Self-consume by day, store the surplus

PV feeds teaching equipment directly during the day and the surplus charges the battery for the evening and for outages. Changeover on outage is automatic, with no manual switching.

Off-grid or hybrid, whichever the site allows

Where the grid is reasonably stable we run hybrid and stay grid-tied; where supply is poor we run off-grid and stand alone. One design method covers both site conditions.

Product configuration

Off-Grid Solar Inverter GF3K24H/GF3K24L/GF5K48H/GF5K48L

Role in the system

Core: 3kW/5kW off-grid inverter, 24V/48V battery, up to 4-6kW PV input

Rated Power 3kW / 5kW Battery Voltage 24V / 48V Max PV Power 4kW / 6kW

OPS3600-T1 3600W High-Power Portable Power Station

Role in the system

Outage backup: 3600W portable station as a mobile supply for critical loads

Model OPS3600-T1 Rated Power 3600W Peak Power 7200W

OPS600T-2 Portable Power Station

Role in the system

Zone top-up: 600W portable station with 600W MPPT for individual classrooms or offices

Rated Power 600W Battery Capacity 960Wh (800Wh usable) Cell Type LiFePO4

Projected outcomes

OPS3600-T1 3600W High-Power Portable Power Station

Television

About 27 hours

OPS3600-T1 3600W High-Power Portable Power Station

Laptop

About 49 hours

OPS600T-2 Portable Power Station

LED light

About 82 hours

OPS3600-T1 3600W High-Power Portable Power Station

Rice cooker

About 7.3 hours

Runtimes above are calculated from usable energy (85% of capacity) and typical appliance wattage; real figures vary with ambient temperature and load.

Institutional designs are confirmed against average daily consumption, the critical-load list, outage duration and whether grid-tied operation is required.