Jurawatt Eyes Bright Future in Africa as Nigerian Markets Open Up
German solar panel manufacturer Jurawatt are looking to Nigeria as their next territory for expansion, after officials awarded import certificates to the company which provide access to the West African nation. The Bavarian engineers, who specialise in high tech and innovative renewable energy products, are now poised to increase their potential market reach across the region, as SGS certification will allow faster and cheaper imports into markets that share common trading standards with the West African Republic.
Jurawatt now aims to make itself a competitive force in a territory that has proven to be a challenge for foreign businesses to penetrate in the past. With official accreditation for the region, Jurawatt will be in a position to offer its products at prices in line with its regional competitors. Customers seeking to import Jurawatt's DESERT photovoltaic (PV) systems in Nigeria will only be required in future to complete a Form M from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Completion of the Form M will permit customers to obtain SONCAP Certificate from the Nigerian for corresponding orders, while avoiding any additional tariffs or fees. Jurawatt believes the removal of these fees will represent a significant cost saving and, in turn, create a crucial financial incentive for the region's solar energy entrepreneurs to choose their company's photovoltaic products.
Among the company's first priorities in the territory will be the rolling out and expansion of its DESERT solar modules range. The high performance solar PV panels and arrays provide an improvement to unit lifespans, and a greatly enhanced performance consistency in high temperature environments. Conventional solar solutions struggle to remain efficient in extreme conditions over long periods of time, and typically suffer from a shortening of their effective lifespans. Tests of the Jurawatt DESERT solar modules have demonstrated a 30% increase in the lifetime energy output when compared to standard solar systems in desert climates. In an industry that is built upon tight operating margins and incremental improvements to efficiency, the DESERT solar module will prove to be an evolutionary leap forward for the Nigerian renewables market.
SON is frequently noted for its rigorous high standards and strict quality control of imported goods. The national government maintains a focus on promoting domestic productivity and inward investment into home-grown enterprises. SGS is recognised as the world's leading organisation for the issuance of Certification of Conformity (CoC) documentation. Its testing standards are recognised globally. The acquisition of the SGS certificate for Jurawatt is therefore being heralded as a major step forward for the Bavarian solar energy innovators, and their aims for growth within the region's markets.
