ABUAD students build 5KVA hybrid solar PV system
By Idun Maximus
In a landmark display of ingenuity, innovation and sustainable development, Twelve final-year engineering students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) have constructed and donated a 5KVA solar photovoltaic power system to the university’s College of Engineering.
The team, under the supervision of Prof. B.A. Adaramola conceptualised and executed the project to ensure back-up power for essential operations in the College of Engineering, built on 2.5 hectares of land and commissioned by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, at an impressive ceremony, on Saturday, October 19, 2013.
The outstanding students behind the successful project are Wodi Joseph Chiburoma, Ekechukwu Ikechukwu Anthony, and Ndubuisi Chidera Henry from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Uviejitobor Afure Daniel from the Computer Engineering Department, Igbalaye Abdulqudus, and Suobere Solomon from the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Others are Stephen George Elakemefa, Princewill Jeremiah, and Peter Umezinwa Izuchukwu from the Mechatronics Engineering Department, Oriola Demilade Mobolaji and Nkumah Amarachi Ezinne from Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, as well as Oramah Chidubem Pascal from the Biomedical Engineering Department.
Using locally sourced materials and their technical ingenuity, the students embarked on this altruistic gesture to supplement the power supply by the university’s Independent Power Plant (IPP).
The 5KVA solar system provides reliable backup power to the A and E Wings of the College, housing the Departments of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering and Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering.
The second phase (7.5 KVA) of the Nodal Power Solution, which will power the C, D, and F Wings of the College of Engineering, i.e., Civil, Chemical & Petroleum, Electrical/Electronics, and Computer Engineering departments, is underway.
The Provost, College of Engineering, Prof. Moses Olufemi Onibonoje, said the students’ efforts and innovation highlight the vibrancy of research clusters in the College, which include energy systems, food security, smart systems, waste management, and smart materials.
He said: “This 5KVA Solar Photo-Voltaic System formed part of the final project for a group of graduating students. It is capable of efficiently powering the A and E Wings of the College of Engineering.
“These clusters form the backbone of our engineering research strategy by nurturing student-led solutions that respond to Nigeria’s most pressing developmental needs. As we train the next generation of engineers, we remain committed to actualising the dream of the Founder and Chancellor of the university, of building a citadel of innovation modeled after global best practices and standards like other globally recognised universities”.
Reacting to the innovative idea, the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, commended the students and their teachers for what she acknowledged as their “milestone achievement, cheering news for the university, and a source of immense pride for the institution’s Founder, Aare Afe Babalola OFR, CON, SAN.”
She said, “Developments of this nature bring joy and happiness to our Founder. I will take this good news to him, and I can imagine the smile on his face when he sees what our talented students have achieved during an intense training of amazing teamwork: the 3 T’s.
“The place of engineering in any society or setting is key. Indeed, engineering plays a vital role in societal advancement, making it everything. Engineering is everything, ranging from the various degrees of comfort that technology brings the way of man through the house he lives in, the various means of transportation, electricity, water, the elevator, the airplane, among several others. Any attempt to separate hands-on engineering training from theory will amount to a step toward underdevelopment and human suffering.
“This feat by our engineering students aligns with the Founder’s vision of establishing a citadel of learning and innovation that compares to what Stanford University, USA, is doing”.
When the news was broken to Babalola, the elated Founder commended the efforts of the College of Engineering and prayed for the students and their teachers in the following words: “You shall excel in all your endeavours. You shall have greater luck than I have.” This was followed by a thunderous “Amen”.
The stellar qualities inherent in ABUAD College of Engineering came to the fore as far back as June 2015 when the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) visited the university to assess the facilities in the College.
After touring all the floors in the numerous wings of the rather expansive College, during which they saw the quantum of the modern, sophisticated and state-of-the-art equipment and teaching facilities from the US, Spain, England and Germany, as well as the quality personnel of international repute manning the university’s engineering programme, the NSE returned a verdict, to wit: that ABUAD’s engineering programme “is a template for engineering education in Nigeria”.
Since then, students at the college have been carting home national and international awards and laurels.
In July 2015, four students at the university, dubbed Team LifeWatch, featured and excelled in that year’s edition of the Microsoft Imagine Cup finals, which took place in Seattle, United States of America, on account of their inventing AtshmaVisor, a device for a more effective and efficient way of managing Asthma, particularly among children.
In September 2015, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Michael O. Ajisafe, joined seven other academics from across the globe to win that year’s Golden European Award for Quality and Business Prestige in the Education sphere in Nigeria, at an elaborate ceremony in Rome.
In April 2016, an alumnus of the university, Engr. Olamide Popoola led “Team Nigeria” to win the 2016 edition of the Unilever Idea Trophy in Category Number 1 Award for “Authentically on Brand, Relevant to target Audience and Drives Talkability and Shareability (A.R.T)” in the United Kingdom.
Later in June 2016, Oluwaseye Bolaji Oguntuase, a 500 Level Mechanical Engineering student, won the 1st National Engineering Students’ Competition in Abuja with his project, titled “Autonomous pipeline leakage in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria” beat 36 other contestants from the country’s six geo-political zones in a competition organised by the Committee of Deans of Engineering and Technology of Nigerian Universities (CODET).
Oghenetejiri Odjighoro, a 2015 First Class graduate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, was, in November 2016, employed as an Assistant Engineer by the Lagos-based Huawei Technologies Limited, a leading multinational Networking and Telecommunications Equipment and Services company, on account of her ability to speak Chinese, a compulsory subject for every ABUAD student.
