CONCEPT

NOTE ON

SOLAR PANEL
MANUFACTURING IN
NIGERIA

NATIONAL AGENCY FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING INFRASTRUCTURE
PMB 391, GARKI. IDU INDUSTRIAL AREA, ABUJA
www.naseni.gov.ng

KARSHI SOLAR PANEL PLANT (KSPP), ABUJA - NIGERIA.





PREFACE

NASENIS Mandate is to make available in the Nigerian Market Capital
goods and services based on sound engineering practice. In its years of
existence, Nine (9) Research and Development Institutes, one Advanced
Manufacturing Technology Programme, which are the Production arms
of the agency, have been established. Each of the Institutes is mono-
mandate.

NASENI, following its mandate, has been intervening in every sector of
our national life, all of which are to accomplish the transformation
agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, the NEEDS, the
MDGs and to achieve the vision of 20-20-20.

This brochure presents NASENIs intervention in the nations
development especially in the areas of power generation and
specifically in solar panel manufacturing technology and reverse
engineering of machines and components.

M.S. Haruna

Engr. (Dr.) M.S. HARUNA FIET, FNSE

Executive Vice Chairman,
National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

NASENIS BACKGROUND

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure
(NASENI), a parastatal under the auspices of Federal Ministry of Science
and Technology (FMST) was established by Decree 22 of 1992. The
Agency has the mandate of developing and providing infrastructure to
enable the practice of endogenous (home grown & home initiated)
technology.

The technology, adopted or developed, must be proved to be workable
by applying to showcase the resultant product as a proof of concept
behind the technology. The infrastructure developed or acquired for the
practice of such technology is in turn used to develop and enhance
capacity within the discipline and also serve as a source of spring up of
other technology.

The Agency has developed capacity in the following fields; Electrical and
Electronic, Materials and Metallurgy, Mechanical, Chemical,
Mechatronics, Computer, Civil, Control Engineering, Chemistry, Physics,
Nanotechnology, Biochemistry etc. Further training is on-going to keep
staff abreast of developing technology trends.

The Agencys intervention in national development spans various
sectors including Energy, Agriculture, Education and Manufacturing. It

operates mainly through her Development Institutes. Each of the

Institutes has a unique mandate of Engineering Infrastructural
development. At present, there are nine (9) Development Institutes.
These institutes have developed various technologies some of which
have been ceded to the SMEs. The Institutes are:
Scientific Equipment Development Institutes (SEDI) in Enugu and
Minna
Electronic Development Institute (ELDI), Awka
Hydraulic Equipment Development Institute (HEDI), Kano
Engineering Materials Development Instiute (EMDI), Akure
National Engineering Design Development Institute (NEDDI),
Nnewi
Power Equipment and Electrical Machines Development
(PEEMADI), Okene.
Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesha.
Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Jalingo

INTRODUCTION
Photovoltaic (PV) effect is the
direct conversion of sunlight
into electricity using a
combination of simple devices
called solar cells made largely
of semiconductor materials,
particularly silicon (Si) either
in the crystalline or
amorphous forms. However, it
is noteworthy also that recent
advances in studies of conjugated polymers have shown that effecient
and stable PV cells can also be made from such supply that is clean and
environmentally benign in contrast to most of the conventional energy
production technologies. Although the present contribution of solar PV
to the world energy needs is still negligible, given the fact that continued
increasing quest for industrialization especially in the third world

countries, there is a distinct possibility that solar PV will play

increasingly significant role in the world energy mix of the 21st century.
Nigeria receives about 5.08 x 1012 kWh of energy per day from the sun
with 3 - 9 hours of sunshine. In view of this abundant sunshine all year
round, the location of the country within the humid tropical region and
the characteristic isolated pattern of human settlement, solar PV
technology is particularly well suited for use in Nigeria. PV modules can
be designed to meet specific needs at the site where it is needed;
meaning that rural, peri-urban or urban communities can easily have
access to reliable electricity for solar PV. A lot of solar installations have
been done in Nigeria for: street lighting, water pumping, domestic or
industrial appliances etc, but the solar panels used are imported,
making the solar installation expensive. Until recently, there is a lack of
local manufacturing capacity in photovoltaic technology in Nigeria.
The establishment of a PV plant in Nigeria is envisaged to accelerate the
development, application, adaptation and diffusion of PV technology in
the country. Furthermore, if used in the country off-the current national
grid for rural electrification, it can serve as a 'game changer' to develop
our rural areas within a very short period. Of significance to note is that
solar cells have substantially become more efficient and less expensive.
The challenge of industrialization coupled with global environment
concerns and the need to develop the rural and peri-urban areas, job
creation in the country, provides a suitable and fertile atmosphere for
the development of a viable venture in the production and sales of solar
panels.

FACILITIES
As stated earlier, the KSPP has the capacity for 7.5MW per annum and
has the following facilities;

Sorters and testers

Laser scriber
Glass Washing Machine
Soldering Table

Trolleys
EvaCutting Table
Framing Machine
Laminator
Sun Simulator

KARSHI SOLAR PANEL PLANT
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure
(NASENI), has established a Solar Panel Manufacturing Plant at Karshi,
FCT, Abuja. The plant with the capacity of 7.5MW/year is established
through a joint venture project with a foreign partner. The objective of
this manufacturing facility centers on business creation, revenue
generation, capacity building and ceding of technology.

The required facilities for this project hace been installed and full
operation has commenced. The first solar panel was produced in the
plant on September 10, 2011 and since then prodution has continued
with greater success. The Federal Government of Nigeria through
NASENI funded the purchase of the manufacturing equipment,
provision of the basic infrastructural needs (i.e. land, building other
infrastructure and necessary utilities), and installation and
commissioning of the equipment.
Solar panels find application in various fields, some of which include but
are not limited to the following:

Domestic/street lighting
Industrial
PV for water pumping

Agriculture/Irrigation purposes
Communication / Powering of repeater stations and
telecommunication booster stations.

There is no doubt that a potentially large market exist for solar PV in

Nigeria as well as within the West African sub-region and Africa as a
whole.

KSSP SECTIONS
The Karshi Solar Panel Plant is divided into the following sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Cell Sorting & Testing

Soldering
EVA/TPT cutting
Glass Washing
Termination
Laminating
Framing
Simulation/Testing
Labelling and Packaging

CONCESSION
While the infrastructure developed by NASENI is used to propagate the
technology through reverse engineering and other means; the resultant
multiplier effect serves as a learning curve and a basis for developing
expertise in the chosen area of discipline.
The establishment of Karshi Solar Panel Plant (KSPP) using imported
technology from China is also to serve the same purpose. The Solar
Panel Plant, a simple idea whose time has come, is established with the
following objectives among others:

Provide infrastructure for the exploration of renewable energy

mainly solar photovoltaic
Provide infrastructure for the provision of energy throughh
alternative source especially solar
Provide a learning curve for R&D in the development and
production of solar cells from ingots using available raw materials
Reverse engineering of machines as well as production of parts
and components at cheaper cost
Develop capcity and core competencies in various areas of
renewable energy, specifically in solar panels production
Deploy the facility to generate revenue while retaining it as a
public property and training centre.

As a strategy, the technologies accruing from the Karshi Solar Panel

Plant and indeed all other infrastructure developed and provided by
NASENI are embedded with business development modalities. These
modalities encapsulate all the objectives of developing and providing
such technologies.
The objectives of the strategy is to create business, generate revenue,
develop capacity and cede technologies from all facilities available at
NASENI Headquarters and the institutes including Karshi Solar Panel
Plant. In view of the foregoing, the Agency has:
Pooled together all activities and facilities developed as
infrastructure in the area of renewable energy (Solar PV, SHP
turbines, Wind energy generation) under one umbrella of
business

 Classified and conducted engineering and economic auditing of all

its facilities and equipment
Appointed concessionaires who will use the facilities at the
factory or the excess capacities available at the Institutes to
produce finished products at a prior agreed or worked out
modality to generate revenue
Appointed Managing Consultant to manage the use of the facilities
by public or individual concessionaries
Developed a blueprint for mounting of exhibbitions and road
shows to showcase products as well as to identify interested and
willing entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs will be mentored and
encouraged to establish businesses in the identified technologies.
For participants, the concession arrangement is as follows:
1. The concessionaires are required to provide the raw materials
and use the facilities at Karshi Solar Panel Plant to reproduce the
solar panels. The solar panels are then evacuated by the
Concessionaires.
2. The 7.5MW/year capacity of the plant is shared among
participating firms.

IMPACTS
The following are the benefits of the Karshi Solar Panel facility:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.

A technical breakthrough in solar panel production

It facilitates reduction in the cost of solar panel
It fosters capacity building and sustainable development in solar
PV.
It leads to job creation.
It serves as testing facility for solar modules in Nigeria.
It can be replicated and/or scaled-up in all the Geo-political zones,
states of Nigeria.

MANAGEMENT
A Manager is running the plant with technicians and operators. The
Agency also has a core of well-trained manpower that can be pooled
from its institutes and headquarters for effective turn-around
maintenance of the facilities.