Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State, has said the smart multi-outlet electricity metering system it invented could address metering shortfalls in power distribution in the country and urged electricity distribution companies to partner with the university to mass produce it.
Speaking during a ceremony to mark the university’s 15 years of existence, also known as founder’s day, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, said the university had patent for the meters, which could be mass produced and distributed to electricity consumers.
He said the meters would resolve disputes among electricity users in partitioned apartments and provide a seamless power distribution for electricity power companies. He added that the meter monitors and bills each connected user independently and has energy transfer capabilities.
Rim-Rukeh said the university, which started from a humble beginning in 2007 at the Petroleum Training Institute’s (PTI) conference centre and a one-storey building with 47 students, had grown geometrically in the last 15 years with a student population of 6,020 today.
He attributed the rapid growth to the massive academic and infrastructural investments since its creation by successive administrations with the support of the Federal Government and host communities.
He said the university had recorded some “modest milestones” within its existence and had received 19 patents for its inventions, including development of energy-efficient vehicles, ground robotic oil spill surveillance system and aerial robotic oil spill surveillance system, development of modular refinery, pneumatic power generators, production of roofing sheets and interlocking materials made from plastic waste, clay and sand.
Other feats achieved by the university, according to the vice chancellor, are the design and fabrication of lightweight vehicle, development of biogas plant, automated LPG leakage detection and valve shutdown systems and several others.
He said the university had made giant strides in academic and infrastructural development and has some of the best equipment and laboratories in the country, lamenting, however, that vision for accelerated growth of FUPRE had been constrained by poor funding over the years.
“At the moment, we have charted the roadmap for accelerated growth and strategic development of the university. This will facilitate her continuous growth over the foreseeable future and enhance the provision of more resources for better services for the overall benefit of society,” Rim-Rukeh said.
