Starsight, the leading Nigerian supplier of commercial and industrial solar energy in Africa, has successfully supplied solar power to a hospital in Ikole, Ekiti State in south-western Nigeria. The new system will be used to speed up Covid-19 testing.
The Ikole Hospital, located in the southwestern Nigerian state of Ekiti, provides specialized secondary health care to residents of the northern senatorial district of the state. For several years, the hospital has been served by an unstable national electricity grid. The hospital receives only eight hours of electricity each month. This is far too short a supply to effectively care for all the patients who come to the hospital. Especially since the number of patients has doubled or even tripled since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.
To address the hospital’s electricity shortage, Starsight, the leading Nigerian supplier of commercial and industrial solar energy in Africa, decided to supply the hospital with solar energy. The hospital now has a reliable and stable source of clean energy. The recently installed off-grid solar systems will mainly help to reduce the screening time for potential Covid-19 patients. They will also improve the quality of care by ensuring the safety of vaccines and medicines (by keeping them at the right temperature…). They will provide the possibility to efficiently use modern equipment and ensure the smooth running of medical operations.
Starsight financed and implemented all stages of the electrification project, from the technical assessment of the hospital’s energy needs to the installation of the equipment. The project was completed in five days. The company was supported by Helios Investment Partners, a private equity firm focused on emerging markets, and by Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), a private equity fund manager, both of whom are shareholders in Starsight. The company has also received support from the Ekiti State Government. “This is a palpable example of what can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together,” said Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti State.
Out of its large stock of equipment, the supplier Starsight has reserved more than 1 MW for the health sector and the fight against Covid-19. Thus, the company plans to supply renewable energy to other hospitals and clinics after the Ikole hospital.
The company has already proved its worth in Nigeria. It has installed about 27 MW of generation assets and 20 MW of storage at 362 sites across all states in the country.
Ines Magoum
