Daystar Power Group

Meet Jehohanan Ogieva — our Women in Power Training (WIPT) feature for this week. Born in Kano, Jehohanan’s family was constantly on the move, spending time in Abuja, Osun State, Port Harcourt and Benin State. Looking back, she wanted to be an engineer as long as she could remember. Her father, a civil engineer, would show her buildings, pointing out the quality of building materials. When it came time to enter university, Jehohanan studied electrical engineering at the University of Port Harcourt. Studying engineering at a public school had its limitations. The classrooms were so overcrowded that she struggled to hear — much less see — the professors. While she mastered the electrical engineering principles thanks to some good teachers, she lacked lab experience. Nevertheless, her SIWES internship at Alcon Ltd - a Port Harcourt-based engineering company - was a turning point. Jehohanan helped to build low and medium voltage distribution panels for the power infrastructure of oil and gas companies. The experience was important in rekindling her love of engineering as she was finally able to apply what she had learned in the classroom to real life. Jehohanan also discovered that she loved working with technicians. When she heard about the WIPT programme from a close friend, she instantly applied. Eights month into the programme, Jehohanan has had a good experience. A self-described free spirit, the programme’s structure has brought discipline and organisation to her work. From generator maintenance to soft skills like Excel and communications, the holistic nature of the training opened her eyes to the day-to-day realities of an engineering career. What has stood out to Jehohanan about WIPT was everyone’s dedication to the trainees’ learning. “The Daystar team wants to build you up,” said Jehohanan. As a member of the projects team, Jehohanan has been working on the electrical designs for solar systems, including a large hybrid system for a brewery. When she finally climbed the roof at the brewery and saw the progress of the system — the glinting solar panels stretched out into the distance — she was struck by its beauty. And she was proud that she contributed even if it was in a small way. “WIPT gives a solid foundation and will be invaluable in my career and life, “ she said. With a passion for learning and career development, Jehohanan is enrolling in another project management course and has set her sights on getting her Master's and PhD in engineering. 🙌

We’re resharing our customer spotlight on Nigerdock, a leading maritime company in Nigeria that is committed to its clean energy transition. While we talk mostly about cost savings and carbon emissions reductions when switching to solar, there is a less discussed, but equally important, benefit: energy efficiency. When we first design our solar system, we conduct a comprehensive audit to identify a client’s power consumption. During this process, we also identify inefficiencies in the existing power setup. For Nigerdock, it became evident that the company had installed oversized generators, leading to excessive diesel consumption compared to its actual load. Temitope Odulate, Nigerdock Facilities Director, said, "Daystar's thorough energy audit highlighted the inefficiencies in our system. The team introduced us to automation and synchronised our system to ensure real-time switch-over, plus it meticulously analysed our energy consumption patterns and right-sized our generators. Consequently, we were able to optimise our energy usage and reduce diesel consumption." Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/gVU3eMeG

In this week’s trainee feature from our latest Women in Power Training (WIPT) programme cohort, we’re introducing Miracle Martins. As a child, Miracle loved to build things. She handled most of the repairs at home. At school, calculations, physics and maths came easy. Although her heart was set on studying architecture — she loved construction and calculations — engineering was a close second choice. She went on to study at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike in Abia State. A strong student, she sailed through her first and second years. But the third year was noticeably more difficult as it was only core electrical engineering classes. But she persevered, putting in the work— no easy feat when you’re one of hundreds of students trying to follow and understand the lecturer. Miracle’s engineering education was to get even better. For her six-month SIWES internship, she was placed in Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC). A lovely experience, she says, as she wanted to focus on the power industry — and stay close to home. Placed with the Protection, Control & Metering Team, she worked closely with engineers who were responsible for the maintenance, protection, control of all electrical infrastructure. Miracle describes her WIPT experience in one-word: awesome. She was impressed with the programme curriculum which isn’t just technical but cuts across all fields. Over the last seven months, she’s seen her speaking skills improve remarkably. The work environment also stood out as exceptional — “They want you to grow as a person.” Assigned to the projects team, Miracle has worked on multiple project designs including our largest battery storage system in the seven months since the cohort started. Are you interested in applying for the next WIPT cohort? We are still accepting applications until this Monday, November 25. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/ghh2F496

In Africa, solar and battery solutions are an increasingly attractive setup for businesses looking to have secure backup power. Batteries allow companies the possibility to go completely off-grid as batteries can power the nighttime power load. Are you interested in boosting your energy security with solar and batteries? Get in touch: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9

7,524. That’s how many solar panels make up our 4.3MW installation for Rider Steel’s factory outside Kumasi. It is our largest solar system in Ghana. In our latest Daystar Employee Spotlight, we want you to meet the engineer who was critical to bringing this project to life: Calic Bennett Dougan. Over his nearly four years at Daystar, Calic has transformed into a seasoned electrical engineer leading teams on some of our most complex projects on the ground. When he first started at Daystar, Calic had little experience in panel installation. But what he lacked in experience, he made up for in hard work and determination. He worked closely with his boss to learn best practices while dedicating many hours to self-study to master the intricacies of renewable energy systems and power networks. He recalls staying up late to learn about new components for successful deployment and commissioning of solar projects. "Every challenge was an opportunity to grow," he said. Calic's role spans the entire lifecycle of a solar project—from feasibility studies and design audits to technical assessments and on-ground installations to transform concepts from the drawing board into tangible, high-performing systems. As a project manager, Calic also coordinates with multiple internal teams and contractors to make sure every project is on time, on budget, and delivered with zero callouts or casualties. His track record speaks for itself with a rate of deployment of about six weeks for 1MW. A typical day at the office starts with his inbox to stay informed on updates and changes, prioritise tasks for the day and work on project planning with his team. On some days, he also helps the field service team led by Elizabeth Blewudzi to resolve any system connectivity issues. On-site, Calic starts each day with a toolbox meeting to cover safety topics—such as working at height and other potential hazards—before assigning tasks to the team. After years of building experience, Calic led the team for the Rider Steel installation. For four months, they stayed in Konongo, a town which is a one hour drive from Kumasi, to oversee the project. It wasn’t smooth sailing. The project presented unexpected challenges, requiring design adjustments on the fly. Calic also had to navigate medium-voltage systems for the first time. Everything was new. But “I was really proud of our efforts and grateful for the support of Tayo Tofade, Daystar’s CTO, and Ing. Nana Darko Owusu Ansah, Senior Engineer, ” said Calic. In just short four years, Calic has gone from being a novice engineer to a project leader, installing more than 10MW of solar systems. At Daystar, we believe in nurturing and empowering talented engineers to grow into leaders, like Calic. 

Happening today: our Nigeria Country Head, Victor Tobenna Ezenwoko, will be speaking at the upcoming joint Executive Session of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) and Energy Institute Nigeria at 9:00 AM at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. This year’s theme is Unlocking Investment for Africa's Energy Future: Strategies for Sustainable Growth. Come join us and contribute to the conversation on Nigeria's energy trends.

Are you passionate about renewable energy? Join our team. We are still recruiting for a Field Service Manager based in Lagos, Nigeria. Submit your resume: https://lnkd.in/dW4QP3Pt

According to a recent Financial Times article citing the International Energy Agency (IEA), air conditioning will represent one of the largest drivers of future energy consumption. Cooling units would require an additional 697 terawatt hours of electricity by 2030 — that is three times more than computer data centres. In Africa, electricity demand for air conditioners is set to rise 10-fold by 2040, from 11 terawatt-hours (TWh) to 112 TWh. Over the years, we’ve seen that the vast majority of our clients’ power requirements stem from air conditioners. For the average business in West Africa, 70% of electricity goes to power ACs. Contrary to some beliefs, solar energy is able to power air conditioning. We conduct an in-depth audit of a customer’s site to calculate the total power load (electricity consumption) and we size our system to be able to power all appliances, including air conditioners. Hybrid solar energy systems are a cleaner and more affordable alternative to costly, polluting generators. Are you interested in adding solar to your energy mix? Sources: https://lnkd.in/eHJzDjRW https://lnkd.in/dAk8uDPE Get in touch: https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9

Calling all female electrical engineering graduates in Nigeria 📣 We’re accepting applications for the fifth cohort of the Women in Power Training (WIPT) programme which will start in January 2025. WIPT is an intensive, one-year skills development and job training programme at Daystar Power, developed specifically for female electrical engineering graduates. For the first six months, trainees learn technical and soft skills in a classroom setting before doing rotations in business units. Trainees gain invaluable insights into the client lifecycle from business development to sales and design to installation and field service (maintenance). Trainees are then assigned to a unit for the remaining time of the programme. At the end, qualified trainees are offered a job at Daystar. To be eligible, you must have: - Education: a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from a reputable university  - Completion of NYSC  - Experience: 0-2 years experience  - Strong interest in solar energy and sustainability - Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail - Ability to work effectively in a team environment - Strong communication and interpersonal skills Applications close on November 25. Apply now:  https://lnkd.in/ghh2F496

Power reliability can spell life or death in healthcare. That is why hospitals and clinics in West Africa are turning to solar energy to power their critical loads. With 99.9% uptime from our systems, healthcare providers can rest assured that they can attend to their patients. We are proud to support healthcare providers with clean, affordable and reliable power. For our hospital clients in Lagos, Nigeria and Kumasi, Ghana, our solar systems act as backup power to run critical loads, like operating equipment in the ERs. We are proud to support hospitals across the region in delivering life-saving care for their patients. Are you a healthcare provider looking to adopt solar power as a reliable backup power? https://lnkd.in/d5SVA7Z9