A Tailoring Business in Lagos Finds Stability Through Solar Power

In the Ikoyi district of Lagos, Ngozi operates a small tailoring shop that serves nearby families, offices, and event planners in the Ikoyi district of Lagos. The business has gradually grown over the past five years, largely through word of mouth and repeat customers. Wedding dresses, school uniforms, and everyday clothing alterations form the core of her work, and during peak seasons such as graduation periods or festive holidays, orders can arrive faster than she can complete them.

Despite steady demand, one persistent challenge has always shaped the pace of her business: electricity.

Power outages are a routine part of daily life for many small businesses in Nigeria. In Lagos, interruptions to the grid can occur multiple times per day, and outages lasting several hours are not uncommon. These disruptions make it difficult for small workshops and service businesses to maintain consistent productivity.

For a tailoring shop that depends on electrically powered equipment such as sewing machines, irons, lighting, and ventilation, an unexpected outage can bring the entire workflow to a halt.

Operational Challenges Caused by Unreliable Power

To maintain basic operations, Ngozi relied on a small petrol generator placed outside the shop. The generator provided a temporary solution whenever the grid failed, but it introduced its own operational limitations. Fuel expenses increased steadily as petrol prices rose, and the generator typically ran for several hours each day.

Beyond the financial cost, there were practical drawbacks. The noise made customer conversations difficult, and running the generator late in the evening often led to complaints from nearby residents. Maintenance issues also occurred periodically, especially during heavy use.

More importantly, power interruptions sometimes affected the delivery of customer orders. On one occasion late last year, Ngozi received a large order of school uniforms for a graduation ceremony.

After working late into the evening to finish the garments, she began pressing them for delivery the next morning. Near the end of the process, the grid failed and the generator ran out of fuel. The nearby fuel station had long queues that night, and electricity did not return until early the following morning.

The unfinished pressing delayed the delivery and damaged the customer’s confidence in the shop’s reliability. Experiences like this gradually pushed her to reconsider how electricity was supplied to the business.

Evaluating a Solar Alternative

Ngozi realized that her shop’s electricity demand was relatively modest. Most power was consumed by her electric sewing machine and steam iron, while lighting, a ceiling fan, and occasional phone charging accounted for the remainder.

With this in mind, she and her husband planned a compact solar system centered on a 24V solar inverter with a rated output of 4200W and a maximum solar input of 4000W. The inverter integrates an inverter, battery charger, and solar charge controller in a single unit, allowing solar energy, battery storage, and grid electricity to work together.

For energy storage, they connected two 12V 300Ah LiFePO4 batteries in series to form a 24V battery bank, while six 550W solar panels mounted on the roof capture sunlight throughout the day, supplying power to the shop and recharging the batteries for evening or outage use.

The system is set to a solar-first mode, so during the day, solar energy powers the shop’s equipment directly while charging the batteries. If sunlight is insufficient, the grid automatically supplies the load, and the batteries are only used during power outages.

The battery bank provides about 7.2kWh of total storage, with roughly 5.76kWh usable at 80% depth of discharge. The 3.3kW solar array can produce roughly 12–13kWh per day under Lagos sunlight, sufficient to cover the shop’s daily energy needs and recharge the batteries.

Installation and Early Operation

The installation process was completed within a week. The inverter was mounted inside the shop in a ventilated area to protect it from dust and humidity, while the solar panels were installed on the roof with a tilt optimized for year-round solar exposure.

After commissioning the system, daily operations quickly became more predictable. During daylight hours, the sewing machine, iron, lighting, and ventilation fan are typically powered directly by solar energy. Excess solar generation charges the batteries, which then provide electricity during short grid outages or evening work sessions.

Because the inverter produces a pure sine wave output, it is compatible with motor-driven equipment such as sewing machines and ensures stable voltage for heating appliances like electric irons.

Operational Impact After Several Months

Several months after installation, the most noticeable change in Ngozi’s shop is the consistency of daily operations. Previously, the working schedule often depended on whether electricity was available at a particular moment.

With solar generation and battery storage in place, outages rarely interrupt production. The generator that once ran for several hours each day is no longer needed, eliminating both fuel costs and noise. Electricity from the grid is now used primarily during extended cloudy weather or unusually heavy workloads.

Reliable power has also made it easier to manage customer deadlines. Orders can be completed according to schedule, and evening work sessions are possible without relying on a noisy generator.

For a small tailoring shop, the change has been less about technology and more about stability. When electricity becomes predictable, daily planning becomes easier, delivery times become more reliable, and the business can focus on craftsmanship rather than coping with power interruptions.