Finally, it is now possible that Nigerians will have electricity. Tesla is coming to Nigeria with Powerwall and this could be the inflexion point where most electricity problems would disappear, at least at homes. Oyo State should offer Tesla state tax holiday for ten years so that Tesla will locate its Nigeria headquarters in Ibadan! I get it – I really want Ibadan to grow. Sure, just a dream.
According to Wikipedia, the Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery stationary energy storage product; it is intended to be used for home energy storage and stores electricity for solar self-consumption, time of use load shifting, backup power, and off-the-grid use
TESLA, a United States electric carmaker and clean-energy company will introduce batteries that can power homes and businesses in Nigeria. This would allow consumers’ in remote areas not on a power grid access to energy and a more stabilized energy source.
Tesla’s incursion into the Nigerian energy market seems well-informed. Consumer groups in Nigeria have raised concerns over the state of power distribution companies(DisCos). DisCos have been accused of estimated billing, exploitation, and unsustainable tariffs after 5 years of power sector privatization from the Nigerian government. Many industries and household consumers are complaining about the services provided to them by DisCos, and it is believed that TESLA batteries could be a solution to this.
However, there are rumours that distribution companies in Nigeria fear that this will lead to a decrease in customers, especially in the industrial sector. Many banking estates and industries already rely on alternative energy solutions. According to a 2016 report by DisCos, the use of these alternatives led to a loss of about $196.23million.
The list price for a new Tesla Powerwall 2.0 battery, which offers twice the storage capacity of the original Powerwall, is $6,700. Supporting hardware adds another $1,100 to the equipment costs, bringing the total to $7,800. Installation can add anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 to the final bill, notes EnergySage.
