The challenge
An 18 kVA / 15 kW three-phase press cannot run on a few hours of grid a day. The alternative was a diesel generator: around ₦2 million to buy and more than ₦12 million a year in fuel, plus the start-up surge of a large motor that shortens the life of any generator or battery it is connected to.
What we built
- A 30–35 kWp solar array sized to the press's ~120 kWh daily energy need.
- A 25 kW three-phase hybrid inverter with a high surge rating.
- A 60–100 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery to cover cloud cover, start-up and end-of-day running.
- A variable-frequency drive (VFD) soft starter on the press motor — cutting start-up surge by 3–6× and protecting the battery and inverter.
- Mounting, balance-of-system and IoT monitoring.
Delivery
FBE designed the system, supplied the equipment and supervised installation by the customer's own solar-trained engineer, working to FBE's commissioning checklist. This design-supply-and-commission model is FBE's route for smaller Nigerian sites that prefer to own their system outright.
The result
- The press runs its full 8-hour production day on solar with battery support.
- No diesel generator purchase and no fuel bill — a 3–4 year payback on the system.
- Motor start-up surge controlled, extending equipment life.
- FBE's first reference site in Nigeria for agri-processing customers — mills, cashew, sesame and shea processors.