UNTIL RECENTLY , BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT HESITANT TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL OF SOLAR PLUS STORAGE .
D A T A C E N T R E P R E D I C T I O N S
global shortage of
A power is inhibiting the growth of the global data centre market , and Nigeria will be affected more than most . According to the International Energy Agency ( IEA ), the country ’ s electricity grid collapsed 46 times between 2017 and 2023 . With an unreliable grid , data centre operators in Nigeria are faced with regular unplanned load-shedding events and the need to install backup generation to maintain uptime for data centre users .
However , while fossil fuel generators have been the go-to backup power choice for many years , record high fuel and equipment costs along with fuel scarcity issues are forcing businesses to reconsider their options for this new wave of data centre build-out .
SOLAR PLUS STORAGE IS A WIN-WIN FOR NIGERIA ’ S BOOMING DATA CENTRE MARKET AND RESIDENTS
In the next five years , Nigeria ’ s data centre industry is set to explode , doubling its capacity from 116MW in 2024 to a forecasted 226MW in 2029 bringing high bandwidth speeds to urban areas . But with a failing electricity grid and an end to oil subsidies , how can the country affordably secure the power that it needs to make this vision of connectivity a reality ? Could a solar array with battery energy storage help to solve the challenge ? Sherisse Alexander , Chief Business Officer , WATT Renewable Corporation shares her thoughts .
Globally , the installation of renewable energy – notably solar , wind and batteries – to power data centres has seen a huge boost in the last few years as the world ’ s largest operators such as Microsoft and Google seek to achieve net zero by 2030 . In the US for example , over 4GW of renewable capacity was contracted by data centres including Amazon , Meta and Google ’ s parent company Alphabet Inc . in the last 12 months alone .
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UNTIL RECENTLY , BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT HESITANT TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL OF SOLAR PLUS STORAGE .
Closer to home , Microsoft , in partnership with G42 , is investing US $ 1 billion to build a geothermal-powered data centre
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