The Customer: A Stadium in Lagos
The customer is a multi-purpose stadium in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city. Like most commercial facilities in Nigeria, they face the same problem every day: grid power is available maybe 8 to 12 hours. The rest of the time, they run on diesel generators.
Diesel in Nigeria cost about 1,200 naira per liter in April 2026. That is roughly $0.75 to $0.80 USD per liter. A medium-sized commercial generator burns 20 to 30 liters per hour. You can do the math. It adds up fast.
The stadium already had plans to add EV charging for staff and visitors. But charging from diesel makes no sense. Expensive. Dirty. Unreliable.
They needed solar. And they had a large, unused parking area. Perfect for carport solar.
What They Ordered (One Set)
Here is the equipment for one complete system. Multiply by 70 for the whole project.
Solar panels – 450W each
They chose 450W mono bifacial panels from a Tier-1 supplier. Bifacial panels produce power from both sides. In a carport installation, light reflects off the ground under the panels. That adds 5 to 15 percent extra output. A good choice for elevated structures.
Each set includes one panel. 70 sets = 70 panels, total 31.5kWp.
Combiner box – custom designed
This is not an off-the-shelf box. We designed it to their specs. Features:
1 input, 1 output with anti-reverse protection
32A 1000V main switch (2 units)
63A 1000V fuse with indicator light
Surge protection: 40kA 1500V
IP65 weatherproof enclosure
Dimensions: 500×50×190mm – small enough to mount unobtrusively on carport posts
They need 4 combiner boxes for the first set. For 70 sets, that scales accordingly.
Inverter – 30kW
They picked a 30kW three-phase inverter. Why 30kW for one set? Because the math worked.
Each set has one 450W panel producing about 1.8kWh per day in Nigerian sun. 70 panels produce roughly 126kWh per day total. A 30kW inverter handles the peak output comfortably with room for future expansion.
The inverter is Thinkpower brand, labeled with our CHUHAN model number. Max DC input 30kW. Max input current 36A / 26A.
AC charging piles – 7kW each, with立柱
Three 7kW AC chargers per set. That is 210 chargers across 70 sets. Enough to serve dozens of EVs simultaneously.
These are plug-and-charge, GB/T standard (China standard). The customer knew they would need adapters for European or local plugs. Which is why they also ordered:
Plug adapters – GB/T to European
Three adapters per charger set. 210 total. These convert GB/T to Type 2 (European standard, also used in Nigeria and many other markets). Each adapter is 170×80×80mm, rated for 380V. Small but critical.
The Installation: Carports Over Parking
The customer is mounting the panels on carport structures over their parking lot. This is smart for two reasons.
First, it uses space that is already there. No need to find extra land.
Second, the cars get shade. In Lagos, parking in direct sun means returning to an oven-hot car. Solar carports keep vehicles cooler – and generate power at the same time.
Each carport bay gets one set: panel on top, combiner box and inverter mounted on the post, chargers at parking level. A clean, integrated look.
Why They Chose Us
We asked the customer during our WhatsApp discussions. Here is what they said (paraphrased):
"Your price was competitive. But more importantly, you listened to what we actually needed. You customized the combiner box to fit our space. You handled labeling with our brand and your model numbers. You shipped to Lagos. Other suppliers quoted standard products. You gave us solutions."
They also valued that we could supply everything – panels, combiner boxes, inverters, chargers, adapters. One supplier, one shipment, one point of contact. That matters when you are coordinating 70 sets of equipment.
What This Project Tells Us
This order is not an anomaly. It is a signal.
First, solar carports are taking off. Commercial facilities with large parking areas – stadiums, shopping malls, airports, office parks – are realizing that parking lots are wasted space. Cover them with solar, and they become power plants.
Second, Africa is ready for solar+storage+charging. The grid is not catching up anytime soon. Diesel is expensive and getting more expensive. Solar + batteries + EV chargers is cheaper than diesel over 5 years. That math works for nearly every commercial facility in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and beyond.
Third, customization wins. We did not win this order because we had the cheapest 30kW inverter. We won because we designed a combiner box to their exact space requirements. We printed their logo and our model numbers. We sourced adapters they did not know they needed. That attention to detail matters.
Where We Are Now
The first set shipped in April 2026. The customer plans to install one set as a pilot, confirm performance, then roll out the remaining 69 sets over the next 6 to 12 months.
We are supporting remotely – providing wiring diagrams, answering installation questions via WhatsApp, and coordinating with their local electrician.
Once the pilot is running, we will publish performance data if the customer agrees. We expect the numbers to be strong: Nigerian sunlight is abundant, and bifacial panels on carports capture reflected light well.
A Note for Other Customers
If you are reading this and thinking about a similar project – in Nigeria, elsewhere in Africa, or any market with high diesel costs and good sun – here is what you should know:
We do not just sell boxes. We design systems. For this project, we sized the inverter, specified the combiner box, sourced the adapters, and coordinated everything for a single shipment.
We also print your logo if you want. And we label everything with our model numbers so you have clear documentation.
Send us your site details. Parking area size. Estimated EV charging demand. Grid conditions. We will design a system. No obligation.
This is real. A stadium in Lagos is doing it right now. You could be next.
