Two Gambian students have come up with a technology that enables an entire power station to be controlled using a mobile phone.
The two, Ndongo Sillah and Bakary Fatty, say the technology will make it easy for companies, institutions and homes to turn devices “on” and “off”.
Explaining the technology’s mode of operation, Sillah said: “As a NAWEC staff, I can be in my house and turn off the power station in Kotu for example. So I do not need to drive all the way to Kotu to switch off or turn off the system.”
According to Sillah, the technology, which is the first of its kind in Africa, does not require any hi-tech training as it is simple to use.
“One needs only a mobile phone and the system’s code number. And if you have the cord number you can be in Ghana here and switch off or on any power station around the world if the system is installed on it,” he said.
He further described what the impact of the technology would be when introduced in The Gambia.
“The benefits are many because it would reduce stress on staff moving up and down to monitor sub stations around. By using the mobile phone, one can be in one place and able to monitor many areas,” he said.
He also added that the system is better maintained compared to similar technologies developed by foreign companies.
Apart from controlling power stations, Bakary also described how individuals can use it for household purposes.
“You can be away when it gets dark, if nobody is at home you just need to call the system in your mobile phone and all your bulbs would be on at home,” he said.
The technology, according to him, would come handy when individuals forget to turn off their electric bulbs and sockets. With this technology, he said, users can perform the function from anywhere.
Concerning their desire for the deployment of the technology, the young innovators said they are interested in having the technology used in The Gambia before anywhere else and therefore request for moral support from the people and government of The Gambia.
The two, who are yet to christen the technology, study a three-year Higher National Diploma (HND) programme in electronics and electrical engineering at the Accra polytechnic in Ghana.
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology in Sankt Augustin, Germany has recently developed a similar technology.
