Assessment of solar-powered projects’ functionality and failures in selected remote locations of southwestern Nigeria

Governments have exploited the use of solar-powered projects (SPPs) to provide energy for basic necessities like water pumping and street lights to enhance the livelihood of people in remote locations. However, the SPPs fail due to a number of challenges. Therefore, this study aim to assess SPPs in selected loactions in Southwestern Nigeria with a view to ascertain their functionality. In this study, 14 remote locations across 3 states were visited, and the SPPs were assessed using structured interviews. The result of the assessment of SPPs revealed that challenges like vandalism, lack of standards, lack of technical know-how, poor designs, deployment errors, and poor maintenance culture are responsible for the failure of SPPs in the selected remote locations. It is recommended that local engagements and adoption of smart technologies be adopted to improve the overall sustainability of SPPs in the selected remote locations