Mills run big motors for long hours and buy diesel by the tanker. That makes them the clearest case for solar in Nigerian industry — and a natural fit for a contract where somebody else buys the plant.
Key facts
- A mill running 500 kVA of generators 12 hours a day burns roughly 1,000–1,500 litres of diesel daily.
- That load is a 750 kW–1.5 MW solar site with 250–500 kWh of battery and VFDs on every large motor.
- Diesel avoided: 350,000+ litres a year, about 950 tonnes of CO₂.
- Energy-as-a-Service fee: fixed, 20–30% below today's diesel plus grid spend, no capital outlay.
The mill load
Hammer mills, roller mills, pellet presses, conveyors, dust extraction — dozens of motors, most of them starting and stopping through the shift. VFD soft starters on the large ones keep start-up surge manageable; a surge-rated inverter bank and a modest battery handle the rest. Daytime shifts run largely on the array itself.
What a 1 MW plant looks like
Roughly 2,500 panels on roof and ground, 250–500 kWh of LFP battery in air-cooled cabinets, a hybrid inverter bank and IoT monitoring. Installation 10–14 weeks. The existing generators stay as backup; a gas unit replaces diesel where the site is fully off-grid.
The naira question
Most mills earn naira. A single large mill is usually above the US$1M equipment floor that makes currency protections affordable — a dollar-linked fee invoiced in naira, a tier-1 bank guarantee, insurance and 40% upfront. Smaller mills buy outright.
Run a mill? Send us your generator hours and fuel bill.
Talk to Frontières BayFrequently asked
Do we lose production during installation?
No — arrays and cabinets go in alongside operations; changeover is done on a planned shutdown night.
Can the night shift run on battery?
Partly. Heavy night shifts need grid or gas top-up; the audit sizes it honestly.