24/04/2026
THE YEAC UMUOLU SOLAR MINI-GRID ECOTRICITY SOLUTION MODEL: AN OVERVIEW
The problems it addresses, the approach, the strategies and key achievements thus far
The solutions provided by the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre’s (YEAC-Nigeria) and Youths and environmental Advocacy Centre's (YEAC-UK) Umuolu Solar Mini-Grid Ecotricity Facility include addressing the problem of energy poverty and no access to electricity since the inception of the Umuolu community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, over 700 years ago. Residents have relied on fuel and diesel generators including “I-pass-my-neighbour” which are expensive to maintain, noisy, and polluting the environment. Due to the absence of official products sales points around the community, many households and businesses had to rely on illegally refined DPK to light up their homes in local lanterns, PMS and AGO for lighting in generators and listers, creating a market for pipeline vandalism and artisanal refineries’ products. These caused devastating impacts on the environment, health, and the livelihoods of fishermen and farmers as well as youth unemployment due to lack of power thus pushing youths toward crude oil theft and illegal refining for income.
To mitigate these challenges, the YEAC-Nigeria's Executive Director, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface wanted to provide an alternative. Both to power communities without electricity (CWE) and to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for displaced and repentant artisanal refiners and youths in the Niger Delta.
The approach continued with international partnerships especially with our United Kingdom Country Director, Helena Farstad, introduced to the project through Noo Saro-Wiwa. We established a foreign subsidiary of the YEAC organization in the United Kingdom, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-UK), set up to raise funds for the projects in the Niger Delta. We also established a dedicated renewable energy daughter company, the YEAC Community Energy and Development (YEAC-CEAD) acting as the developer and contracted NXT Grid Nigeria/Netherlands to install our first solar mini-grid in Umuolu community, commissioned on August 12, 2024.
The YEAC approach and model of mini-grid development is unique in Nigeria. This is because our core objective is not profit maximisation, but the provision of clean energy to communities to mitigate oil-theft in the Niger Delta region. Our facility provides households and businesses with affordable solar power so that they no longer need to use illegally refined petroleum products, particularly DPK, PMS and AGO, to energise their homes and businesses. Our business model is also set up through YEAC-CEAD such that any profits from the project will be reinvested into existing and future projects. This exclusive approach has shrunk the demand for illegal fuel, DPK and AGO in Umuolu thus reducing incentives for pipeline vandalism and artisanal refining. The approach and strategy also addresses alternative livelihoods for youths as the solution is powering small/medium enterprises so youths are “engaged in meaningful economic activities” instead of illegal refineries.
Furthermore, another unique approach of YEAC to the mini-grid development in the Niger Delta is the adoption of the community ownership model. Through this model, the organization liaises with the community to provide and donate land free of charge by the community leadership as part of measures to ensure the community’s full participation, buy-in and ownership. The sense of collective ownership provides the organization with a smoother operational environment, social security and investment protection. The strategy also includes designing the project to be partnership-driven, collaborating with communities, funders, donors and mini-grid powering companies such as NXT Grid Nigeria/Netherlands that also functions as our software providers and technical partners.
This approach and strategy is part of the YEAC-Nigeria's broader oil theft mitigation mechanisms, alongside other initiatives being promoted like the Modular Refinery for artisanal refiners as promised by the Federal Government in 2017, and our July 27, 2020 proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) that calls for the innovation, modernization, legalization and integration of artisanal refiners into the national economy among other.
The key achievements, results and solutions provided to date include being the first electricity in 700+ years to be provided in the Umuolu community, taking Umuolu from total darkness to stable, noiseless, solar-powered electricity.
“Even if you wake my forefathers from the grave, they will never believe that electricity supply is now in Umuolu”, an Umuolu resident said during the project commissioning on August 12, 2024.
Another achievement of the YEAC solar mini-grid solution is capacity & reach. The grid, currently running at 35.95kWp solar PV with 90kwh Lithium storage connected to 236 households, businesses, healthcare services, churches, schools and other facilities is designed to be expanded, based on increased usage and power consumption. Also, the achievements of the solution further include the socio-economic impact that comes with the facility as the solution powers homes, businesses, schools, churches, and the hospital, fostering economic development, growth and improving the standard of living of the people of Umuolu community, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Apart from job creation for youths and members of the community as well as those working remotely on the project within and outside Nigeria, we are excited to report that the project has stopped illegal refinery activities around the area as their market in Umuolu has closed. This has also improved environmental conditionalities in and around the area as illegally-refined petroleum products do not have a place in the community anymore. The project has replaced fuel and diesel generators with “noiseless and environmental-friendly” solar and reduced carbon footprint thus contributing to climate change mitigation mechanisms. The YEAC solar mini-grid project also aligns with “national goals of promoting green energy and combating climate change” and serves as a pollution and oil theft mitigation mechanism pilot scheme for Nigeria. The solution is a proof-of-concept that “community energy for households” can shrink the market for illegal refiners in the Niger Delta, Nigeria and reduce pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and artisanal refineries.
We at the YEAC believe the electrification of Umuolu is the beginning of scaling this model across the Niger Delta to mitigate oil theft, pollution and empower the youths who were hitherto engaged in illegal refineries through alternative livelihood opportunities powered by clean and renewable energy. We are now ready to scale our work significantly subject to additional support and funding, and are in the process of planning a further nine projects in the region where we can power more SMEs, households and public facilities for the people of the Niger Delta.
DR. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface,
Director, YEAC-CEAD.
April 24, 2026.
