In Nigeria, solar energy provider Daystar Power is strengthening its partnership with soft drink manufacturer Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC). The solar power provider is installing systems with a combined capacity of 10.5 MWp to power five SBC plants over the next six years.

Daystar Power’s portfolio expands in Nigeria. The Lagos-based company is entering into an agreement with Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC) to strengthen the power facilities at its plants in Nigeria. The soft drink manufacturer operates nine plants across the country, and through the agreement signed with Daystar Power wants to provide solar power to five of its facilities.

Over the next six years, Daystar Power will build rooftop solar plants for the SBC plants. These facilities will have a combined capacity of 10.5 MWp, a significant amount of capacity for utility-scale solar in Nigeria. The solar systems will be installed to power the SBC plant in the cities of Abuja, Lagos (Ikeja), Ibadan and Ilorin.

“SBC has shown extraordinary leadership in embracing solar power. It is proof that Nigerian industrial manufacturers can reduce their energy costs and meet their sustainability requirements,” enthuses Jasper Graf von Hardenberg, the CEO and co-founder of Daystar Power. The company, which employs 110 people, estimates that future photovoltaic installations will supply 50 percent of the total energy consumption during the day, depending on the size of the installation and the amount of sunlight.

Through solar energy, SBC will reduce its CO2 emissions, an important factor in the global fight against the effects of climate change and the adoption of mitigation strategies. Through the new agreement, SBC is strengthening its partnership with Daystar Power. This collaboration began with an initial agreement to build 1.5 MWp of solar systems for two SBC plants in Nigeria. The project was a success with the commissioning of two solar systems of 450 kWp and 990 kWp in the Kaduna and Kano plants respectively.

Daystar Power estimates that these installations will enable the soft drink manufacturer to reduce its emissions by 24,224 tons of CO2 equivalent over the 20-year life of the two solar plants. The facilities are also expected to save up to 40 percent on SBC’s electricity costs. With the five plants to be built, the soft drink supplier will have 12 MWp of installed solar capacity at seven plants.