With Nigeria's persistent power outages and rising fuel costs, solar energy has quickly shifted from luxury to necessity, as many Nigerians are turning to solar as an alternative. Yet, even with panels installed and batteries charged, people still struggle with their systems' performance, unknown to them that certain everyday habits and overlooked factors may be silently draining their solar power.
In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Emmanuel Aanu Ajayi, a solar expert, has highlighted seven things that are secretly killing your solar system without your knowledge.
Why Solar Systems Underperform in Nigeria
As Nigerians battle epileptic electricity supply, solar power has become a trusted backup for many households and business owners in the country. People spend millions purchasing solar panels, batteries, and systems. But despite this shift, complaints about batteries not lasting and systems underperforming are still common among some Nigerian users.
What most people do not realise is that several hidden factors, which they often ignore, are quietly draining their solar systems and causing them to perform below their expected capacity.
7 Hidden Factors Draining Your Solar Power
Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Emmanuel Aanu Ajayi, a solar expert who recently won a 50 million naira Federal Ministry of Education Student Venture Capital Grant in March for his SUNPOD startup, has shed light on certain everyday habits that might be killing your solar power without you even knowing.
1. Old or Weak Batteries
If your batteries are already ageing or not holding charge well, they drain faster and reduce your backup time, even if your panels are working fine.
2. Phantom Loads (Hidden Power Usage)
Devices like TVs, decoders, chargers, and microwaves still consume power even when turned off but plugged in. Over time, this silently drains your system.
3. Overloading the System
Using heavy appliances like a pressing iron, an electric kettle, or an air conditioner beyond your system capacity will quickly drain your batteries and stress your inverter.
4. Faulty or Undersized Wiring
Using low-quality and thin wires leads to energy loss (voltage drop), meaning you are losing power before it even reaches your appliances.
5. Inefficient Appliances
Old fridges, deep freezers, or low-quality electronics consume more energy than expected and drain your system faster.
6. Inverter Losses
Your inverter itself consumes power while converting energy. Low-quality or inefficient inverters waste more energy than necessary.
7. Lack of Proper System Design
Many solar systems in Nigeria are not properly sized. If your system is not designed based on your actual energy usage, it will always feel like it is underperforming.
Hopefully, after making simple changes, you can enjoy longer-lasting power and a more reliable solar experience every day.
Related Stories
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian woman who could not afford solar had gone public with an alternative she uses that gives her light for up to four hours. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a lady had experienced a terrible situation four days after buying a solar battery. The lady explained that she had acquired a solar battery on a Saturday, only for her monitor to develop a fault by the following Wednesday. She shared a photo of the battery she had bought and voiced her disappointment about the situation. The emotional lady described the experience as one of the many difficulties that came with adulthood and prayed for things to be easier, stating that she was making her best effort to cope.
