Unilag researches into low-cost solar energy supply

The University of Lagos is researching into a cost-effective solar energy supply to people in its immediate environment.

The university’s Director of Research and Innovation, Prof. Wellington Oyibo, made this known in an interview with our reporter on Thursday in Lagos.

“We have colleagues in the energy space. We told them that we want people to have access to energy that must be cost-effective.

He said that provision of the alternative source of energy would be a unique way for the institution to make more impact on the society.

“If you should compute how much it takes to run a generating set every day, you will discover that what you have spent in buying fuel in a week can actually provide you electricity for one year.

“So, we are talking about access to low-cost energy, which is what we are working on now,’’ Oyibo said.

According to the director, the team of researchers is not only concerned about alternative source of energy, but also about low-cost energy.

Oyibo told our reporter that some research products of the university were undergoing material reduction in an effort to reduce cost.

He said that researchers were working on reducing to N10,000 or less, the cost of a product that could ordinarily gulp N100,000, so that it could be affordable.

“All these are in the pipeline; of course, we will not want to tie down the time of the completion to any particular period because a number of factors will come into play.’’

According to him, the research into cost-effective alternative energy source is coming after the university’s groundbreaking research into malaria testing with urine which was validated in 2016.

According to him, the urine test kit is currently in the market.

Oyibo said that the institution was at an advanced stage of providing solutions to a number of societal challenges.

“With focus, commitment and support that the university is providing, we are sure to get to where we intend in terms of research and innovation.’’