MINISTER of Works, Housing and Electricity Babatunde Fashola said yesterday the government is deploying solar energy in nine universities.
He spoke at the 32nd Convocation Lecture of Yabatech College of Technology.
Fashola said the power plant would deliver 12 megawatts of electricity in the universities to aid power generation.
“We are deploying solar energy in Nigerian universities today. The first nine schools are under construction and they will deliver 12megawatts of electricity to these schools. We will move from phase to phase until we complete it in the 37 states,” the minister said.
Fashola, who spoke on the theme: “Sustainability of technological advancements – a key to industrial growth”, noted that the ministry has invested in innovative areas that would improve power generation and distribution.
He urged the graduating students to be technological and innovative-minded to move the wheels of economic growth.
The minister said: “I want to see new things. You are graduating into a world of artificial intelligence. This is a world that you will answer the skills that the school has empowered you with. No matter how much progress you think has been made, there is still room to do more. This is really the heart of technology in the pursuit of knowledge.
“The interesting thing today is that it is still difficult to store electricity, but not totally impossible. That may be the next revolution. That may be a student here who will change what we know about electricity, to bring that revolution to light. Some people are already ahead but you can overtake them and be the one who turns the story of Nigeria and Africa around because there are so much to do with this wheel called electricity.
“Some people have generated it, some people have transported it, some have distributed it, but who can store it? You cannot afford to sleep; add value. I believe if this problem is solved, it will improve the value chain of electricity. In the next few years, we will not have all these problems because we can carry 10 megawatts of electricity in our pockets and is safe. So, it is very possible to store electricity, if we find a better way out. But I will continue to do my work before we get there.”
Source: thenationonlineng
