FUTO Partners Swansea University on Solar Energy Research

The Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) has launched an international energy research partnership with Swansea University, United Kingdom, to advance next-generation solar technology agenda in Nigeria and Africa.

The partnership is part of a £3.08 million project named 'Resilient Renewable Energy Access Through Community-Driven Holistic Development in Perovskite Solar Module Manufacturing' (REACH-PSM) led by Swansea University, and funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Ayrton Challenge Programme.

The research collaboration kicked off with a week-long UK-Nigeria Train-the-Trainer Programme hosted by FUTO’s Africa Centre of Excellence in Future Energies and Electrochemical Systems (ACE-FUELS).

Receiving a 5-man Swansea University delegation which paid him a courtesy visit in FUTO Council Chambers, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. I.N.S. Dozie described the partnership as a strategic milestone in FUTO’s drive to build globally competitive research capacity, and deliver innovative solutions to contemporary energy challenges.

"This collaboration strengthens our research profile, and positions FUTO at the forefront of innovation in renewable energy and industrial partnerships," the Vice-Chancellor said. He assured the delegation of FUTO Management’s full support towards enabling high-impact research.

Briefing the Vice-Chancellor, leader of the Swansea University team, Prof. Trystan Watson said the partnership aims to deepen collaboration through technology transfer, researcher development, and postgraduate training.

According to Prof. Watson, REACH-PSM will build local expertise in the design, fabrication, and scale-up of perovskite solar cells, an emerging technology set to transform renewable energy production.

On the partnership's prospects, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation & Development) and ACE-FUELS Centre Leader, Prof. Emeka E. Oguzie disclosed that FUTO’s participation in the project was made possible by the World Bank-supported ACE project. He said the investment produced both the ElectroLab-X which is FUTO’s state-of-the-art facility for advanced energy research, and the expert personnel that made FUTO a credible African partner.

While in FUTO, the Swansea delegation engaged ACE-FUELS post-doctoral and PhD researchers in intensive training on solar cell fabrication, manufacturing, quality assurance, and materials characterisation.

The programme is expected to produce master trainers to sustain the technology at FUTO and across Nigeria and Africa, maximise the use of ElectroLab-X, and accelerate research output.

The long-term goal is to position FUTO's ACE-FUELS as the centre for the first Made-in-Africa perovskite solar cells, driving indigenous manufacturing, commercialisation, intellectual property development, and sustainable economic growth.