Scholarlink

<p>This study investigated the impact of power quality disturbances; voltage surges, brownouts, and frequency deviations on the operational efficiency and equipment lifespan of small-scale metal, wood, and electrical/electronics workshops in South East Nigeria. Addressing Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), the study adopts a Mixed-Methods Explanatory Sequential Design. A structured questionnaire was administered to 300 workshop operators selected through multi-stage sampling from a population of approximately 1,030 registered enterprises, supplemented by semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 26 veteran artisans. Quantitative findings revealed that all three workshop sectors experienced extremely high frequencies of power quality disturbances. Complete outages were the most frequently experienced disturbance (M = 4.48), while brownouts (M = 4.36) were identified as the most economically consequential in terms of equipment degradation. Average daily outage duration was 10.4 productive hours. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses confirmed a significant positive relationship between voltage instability frequency and operational efficiency loss (β = 0.471, R² = 0.487) after controlling for enterprise age, workshop size, sector type, and mitigation strategy. Voltage instability was also a significant predictor of accelerated equipment failure rates (R² = 0.503). One-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in the economic impact of grid instability across sectors, with electrical/electronics workshops bearing the heaviest burden (F = 8.47, <i>p</i> &lt; .001). Qualitative thematic analysis identified five overarching themes: daily normalization of power disruption; voltage surges as the most feared equipment-damage event; the hidden economic burden of coping strategies; brownouts as the silent equipment killer; and widespread powerlessness combined with adaptive informality. The findings have direct implications for SDG 7 energy quality monitoring, SDG 9 industrial infrastructure policy, and the competitive sustainability of Nigeria’s artisanal enterprise sector. Grounded in the Theory of Constraints, Reliability-Centered Maintenance, and the Resource-Based View, the study provides converging mixed-methods evidence for urgent energy infrastructure policy reform.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Power quality, voltage instability, and workshop sustainability in small-scale enterprises in South East Nigeria

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月13日

查看全文
  • Victor Arinzechukwu Okanya,
  • Lilian Chinyere Mole,
  • Ann Amarachukwu Odimegwu,
  • Theresa Chinyere Ogbuanya,
  • Chibueze Tobias Orji

摘要

This study investigated the impact of power quality disturbances; voltage surges, brownouts, and frequency deviations on the operational efficiency and equipment lifespan of small-scale metal, wood, and electrical/electronics workshops in South East Nigeria. Addressing Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), the study adopts a Mixed-Methods Explanatory Sequential Design. A structured questionnaire was administered to 300 workshop operators selected through multi-stage sampling from a population of approximately 1,030 registered enterprises, supplemented by semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 26 veteran artisans. Quantitative findings revealed that all three workshop sectors experienced extremely high frequencies of power quality disturbances. Complete outages were the most frequently experienced disturbance (M = 4.48), while brownouts (M = 4.36) were identified as the most economically consequential in terms of equipment degradation. Average daily outage duration was 10.4 productive hours. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses confirmed a significant positive relationship between voltage instability frequency and operational efficiency loss (β = 0.471, R² = 0.487) after controlling for enterprise age, workshop size, sector type, and mitigation strategy. Voltage instability was also a significant predictor of accelerated equipment failure rates (R² = 0.503). One-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in the economic impact of grid instability across sectors, with electrical/electronics workshops bearing the heaviest burden (F = 8.47, p < .001). Qualitative thematic analysis identified five overarching themes: daily normalization of power disruption; voltage surges as the most feared equipment-damage event; the hidden economic burden of coping strategies; brownouts as the silent equipment killer; and widespread powerlessness combined with adaptive informality. The findings have direct implications for SDG 7 energy quality monitoring, SDG 9 industrial infrastructure policy, and the competitive sustainability of Nigeria’s artisanal enterprise sector. Grounded in the Theory of Constraints, Reliability-Centered Maintenance, and the Resource-Based View, the study provides converging mixed-methods evidence for urgent energy infrastructure policy reform.