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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Concept Technologies has revealed how environmentalist and American former vice president, AI Gore inspired innovation in solar technology in Nigeria.
CEO Tokunbo Tonade was speaking at the unveiling of the first off grid solar powered home in Nigeria when he revealed this, saying that his company is on a mission to build solar estates in all of the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT.
“As absurd as it may sound, this whole thing started as a result of the death of a dog,” Mr. Tonade narrates.
“I started my life as a mechanic, and because I am one of those who easily get tired of monotonous things, I got tired of motor mechanics and I got into generator building, and maintenance.
“Somewhere along the line, we started to build generators for vehicle engines, and we started selling to the new towns in Lekki area in the 1990s.
“Most of the time when we go to do maintenance, we always have issues with dogs, but there is this particular house that the dog was always very good to us, always wagging its tail unlike the other places where we have to wear double jeans to avoid being bitten by the dogs.
“One day, I got to this house to do general maintenance, and I was told the dog was dead. I was taken aback; what would kill a dog like this, and they told me that the dog took shelter in the generator house, trying to avoid the rain, the previous day, and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
“It really got to me because I felt responsible for the death of the dog, and for some reasons because I have not actually heard of carbon monoxide poisoning, I started a research into it.
“It was while I was doing my research I discovered that the carbon monoxide was not only poisoning human beings, but was also equally poisoning the ozone layer that protects the world we live in right now.
“Somewhere along the line, I got to meet somebody online unexpectedly by the name AI Gore, who happens to be the vice president of the United States (US) during Bill Clinton’s regime.
“He also champions advocacy for global warming. He was the one I was chatting with who said there is no point talking about this issue if you don’t have a solution for it.
“So, I asked him what the solution was, and he said its renewable energy.
“When I heard it, I research into renewable energy, and somehow I became interested in renewable energy and I started to research more about it, until I realized that we could actually power our appliances with energy from the sun, and that really got to me, and that was how I delved into the solar technology business,” Tonade narrated.
The Concept Technologies boss said all Nigerians can live in houses powered by only the power of the sun, without having to bother about epileptic power supply from the electric distribution companies in Nigeria.
He stated that the solar estates to be built across the 36 states of the federation will not be connected to the national power grid but will rely solely on the power of the sun.
With the load calculator on the company’s website, electricity consumers can calculate their power needs and send the calculations to Concept Technologies for a quote.
Tonade said one of his company’s products, a 150 watts solar energy facility, goes for N180,000 only, with a 25 years warranty.