poweraddus

World Bank, Nigerian Banks, Others Plan Solar Power For 1m Nigerian Households

The World Bank, Inteational Financial Corporation (IFC) in partnership with some Nigerian banks and energy companies have established the Lighting Africa project, aimed at connecting over one million vulnerable households in rural communities in the country to off grid electricity, using solar energy over the next five years.

The World Bank is catalysing its partners in the project to spread electricity by moving more people to better lighting solutions. They are promoting the use of solar bulbs, lamps, panels and other lighting solutions which are environmentally friendly, safe, affordable, durable and easy to install.

The global financial institutions are linking Nigerian investors and merchants to access loans from commercial banks at World Bank/IFC approved interest rates to source for funds as well as link them to certified global solar energy equipment manufacturers so that they can bring in the solar lighting solutions to those without electricity in the rural and semi-urban areas.

Some of the approved solar power banks companies the World Bank is working with in Nigerian include: Awango by Total, Barefoot Power, DLight Solar, Freeplay, FuturaSun, Greenlight Planet, Little Sun, Niwa, MniVoltaic, Orb Energy and Philips. These companies and many other prospects will access low interest from banks to finance the project.

According to Mr. Fanen Acho, Lighting Africa consultant for World Bank/IFC for English speaking West Africa, the aim is to reduce dependence on the use of kerosene, local lamps, generators and candles for lighting through the use of solar power solutions recharged through sunlight.

Use Power Strips to Smarten Your Home
Thinking of making your home a bit smarter? Want more control of your energy use?

When it comes to energy-efficiency actions, homeowners have quite a few choices. But what if you can’t afford major home improvements? Or what if you’re a renter? As a Domino energy concierge, I get this kind of question a lot.

The good new is, any of us can take simple actions to save energy and money — and make our homes a little smarter in the process.

Vanquish the vampires

“Smart homes” are quite the buzz these days. And the term can mean a lot of things. I’ll start with a simple action that’s also the smartest thing you can do to save energy in your home. It involves killing off vampire energy loads — the power that your appliances are draining even when you’re not using them.

An easy way to vanquish the vampires is to plug your appliances into smart strips. These power strips won’t stop all energy use, like a traditional power strip would if you tued it off or unplugged it. But they have the benefit of being easier to control, so you’re more likely to tu off devices.

You can choose from several kinds of smart strips. Here are the best of each main type.

belkinRemote-switch power strips

Remote-switch power strips have one or two “always on” plugs, for devices you want to ensure stay on, and usually three times as many “easy off” plugs. You can tu off unused devices by flipping a switch on the strip itself, or sometimes even using a remote. A top-of-the-line remote-switch

travel power strip is the Belkin Conserve Switch? Surge Protector with Remote.

Master-controlled power strips

Like the remote-switch variety, master-controlled power strips have several “always on” plugs for your DVR and other devices you don’t want to cut off power to. They also have a “control plug,” which senses when more energy is being pulled from a device that’s plugged in and tus on — like when you tu on the TV with your remote. A good one is the Smart Strip 4940 LCG3 LCG3M Energy Saving Surge Protector with Autoswitching Technology, 10-Outlet.

WestekTimer power strips

Timer power strips tu on and off based on the time you set them to. This is a great feature if you know you won’t be using devices during certain times, or if you’d like to have devices like lights tu on automatically at certain times. Check out the Westek TE08WHB Indoor 8-Outlet Weekly Digital Power Strip Timer.

emerbtecMasterless power strips

Masterless power strips detect when power is being called for. When a significant amount of power is not being called for, the whole strip powers down, to ensure the vampire load is kept to a minimum. A downside of these strips is that if they detect a large enough drop in energy use, they might cut power to devices you are using. They’re also some of the most expensive power strips on the market. If you’d still like to try them out, the Embertec EmberCeptor AV Series is a good bet.

Smart strip and plugs

WemoSmart strips or plugs are connected to wifi, letting you control your power usage over the phone. Which type is right for you depends on how you’ll use them:

Belkin WeMo Switch: A single outlet controlled independently. This product’s app also includes a timer, a scheduled on option, and an Away Mode, which makes it look like you’re home when you’re not by randomly tuing on and off.
i-BRIGHT7x 4ft Smart Surge Protector: 5 outlets controlled together (plus 2 always on) — only for iPhones.
Ubiquiti mPower mFi 3-port Power (EU and US) Wifi: 3 outlets that are separately controlled but located together — iPhone and Android compatible.

Sunleaves Power Matrix is the power strip of our dreams
The Power Matrix 8-outlet power strip from Sunleaves is one of the most exciting electrical appliances we’ve ever seen. We’re already swooning for just about any usb power strip that has a straight eight outlets but not only does the Sunleaves Power Matrix SPM-100 have five of its outlets on stuby little squid arms, it is remarkably cheap too!

We’ve covered a ridiculously diverse array of power strips over the years. Everything from the Kill-a-Watt PS to monitor electricity consumption, the iRemoTap PS that puts control in the cloud, the USB Power Strip that tus a computer into a controller to the Waterproof Power Strip and Articulated Power Strip have caught our attention.

However, priced at just $20 online and perhaps a couple bucks more at brick n’ mortar stores, it’s hard to beat the Sunleaves Power Matrix’s sheer value and practicality. The UL-listed SPM-100 includes a 3.5 foot cord, illuminated on/off switch, overload protection and a 15 amp of surge protection.