The grid will go off. Most Lagos homes deal with it with a generator, an inverter, solar panels, or all three. Petrol prices have pushed many people towards inverters and solar, which cost more to buy and far less to run.
The parts
- The inverter turns stored battery power into the electricity your appliances use, and switches over automatically when the grid fails.
- The batteries store the power. Lithium batteries last longer and cost more than the older lead-acid kind.
- Solar panels charge the batteries from the sun. Without them, an inverter charges only from the grid, so a long outage drains it.
- A charge controller manages charging from the panels.
Sizing it
Start from what you need to run during an outage, and for how long:
- List the appliances: lights, fans, fridge, TV, router, laptop, perhaps one air conditioner.
- Add up their power, in watts, and the hours each runs.
- The inverter must handle the total running at once; the batteries must store enough for the hours you need; the panels must refill the batteries on a cloudy rainy-season day as well as a sunny one.
Air conditioners, pumping machines and electric cookers draw a lot. Most systems leave them on the generator or the grid.
Choosing an installer
- Ask for a written design: what it will run, for how long, and the equipment, by brand and model.
- Ask about warranties, and who honours them.
- Talk to two previous customers whose systems have run for a year.
- Check the wiring and the protection: proper cables, breakers, earthing and surge protection.
When a generator still makes sense
For heavy loads, for long outages in the rainy season, or as a backup to the backup. Never run one indoors or near a window: the exhaust kills.