A smart energy expert, Orebiyi Godfrey, has said Nigeria’s unstable power supply limits local manufacturers’ ability to adopt energy-efficient, smart-factory systems.

He said there was therefore an urgent need for significant improvements to the electricity infrastructure.

Mr Godfrey, a renewable energy engineer, said this in Abuja on Monday.

He said that while smart manufacturing models promised efficiency, automation and cost savings, their success depended heavily on reliable and consistent electricity, which Nigeria currently struggles to provide.

He said that many advanced factory systems relied on interconnected sensors, data analytics, and automated machinery, all of which required uninterrupted power.

He said that frequent outages force manufacturers to depend on diesel generators, undermining both efficiency gains and sustainability goals.

According to him, solar energy offers a practical support solution for manufacturers, particularly for daytime operations and predictable energy loads, helping to reduce dependence on diesel and lower long-term operating costs.

Mr Godfrey said that solar alone could not guarantee the round-the-clock reliability required for smart factories, since power generation depended on sunlight, which made battery storage necessary and significantly increases overall system costs.

“Energy-intensive industrial processes often demand high and stable power loads that solar systems may struggle to sustain without very large and expensive installations, limiting their standalone viability for full automation.

“A hybrid energy model combining solar, battery storage, generators, and grid supply provides a more realistic pathway, though it comes with higher upfront investment and technical complexity for many local manufacturers,’’ he said.

The expert said that while firms could gradually adopt energy-efficient technologies through modular upgrades, achieving a full smart-factory transformation would remain difficult without improved grid reliability and stronger policy support.

Mr Godfrey stressed that targeted government incentives, including tax credits and financing for clean energy systems, alongside public-private collaboration, would be critical to easing the transition and unlocking Nigeria’s industrial modernisation potential. 

(NAN)