Energy is a big problem in Nigeria, creating disruptions in the Skills Development Sector. “Abba’s Heart Montessori School implemented a renewable power system for a new 400-student capacity building in 2019 with 79kW rooftop solar panels (producing about 115MWh per year)

A smart PLC-controlled power distribution panel provides real-time protection and load shedding to maintain a balance between power generation and distribution, which helped to attain a fully net-zero energy building.

Abba’s Heart made deliberate choices of energy efficient devices throughout the building and also focused on minimal cooling requirements through window glazing and natural air circulation.

With annual savings of over $11,000, there has been significant reduction in school operating cost by eliminating the need for generator backup and utility power connection (which is very unreliable in Nigeria).

According to the schools key person Mrs. Bukola Oluwalade, “the project’s impact on global warming is an estimated savings of 44 metric tons of CO2 per year, and has helped to imbibe the awareness of sustainable infrastructure development in our students.” The total cost of the project (which was implemented in two phases in 2019) was about $120,000. This includes financing cost for a portion of the project from a local bank in Nigeria.

The schools entire governance and operations are fully online, but they still keep some elements on paper by choice. They use Google Classroom as their LMS and EDVES platform for school management system which serves all elements including fee management, school reports, and exams”.

They have fully online students who still chose to attend remotely. They have a case of one student whose parents relocated abroad but the student is still fully attending virtually. They even had their student’s elections online for the first time in November 2021.

Abbas Hearts school renewable energy project is definitely something to cheer about, and a worthy example for similar institutions across Africa to investigate; reducing long term operational costs as well as  the carbon footprints of the sector across the continent.