The U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced it has awarded a grant to Nigeria’s Daybreak Power Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of African renewable energy company Daystar Power Group, for a feasibility study to help optimize clean energy supply to business entities in the country.
Daybreak Power Solutions selected Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to carry out the study.
According to Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally (rtd), USTDA’s Acting Director, “USTDA has long worked with our partners in Nigeria to help expand energy access and advance climate resilience. Our support for this project will offer Nigerian businesses a clean energy solution for their power needs and facilitate partnerships with U.S. companies that supply high-quality infrastructure solutions.”
A statement by the USTDA Office, Arlington, Virginia, USA, USTDA’s study will assist Daybreak Power Solutions with developing 20 solar-plus-storage minigrids that will supply power to Nigeria’s grid when it is operational and provide power directly to Nigerian businesses when the grid is down.
The minigrids will provide a clean and reliable alternative to diesel back-up generators and produce up to 40 megawatts of solar power. The study will develop the technical designs of the minigrids, select the sites for deployment, and finalize the project’s business model.
“We are thrilled to partner with RMI and USTDA on this landmark project to explore win-win opportunities for industrial manufacturers, solar energy providers, and distribution companies in Nigeria,” said Jasper Graf von Hardenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Daystar Power Group.
This activity supports USTDA’s Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure, which connects U.S. industry to major clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects in emerging markets. It also supports the U.S. government’s Power Africa and Prosper Africa initiatives.
