‘Achieving renewable energy projection hinge on effective R/D, human capacity’
Industry experts and specialists in renewable energy insists that for Nigeria to achieve the desire effect when it comes to renewable energy projection, there must be adequate investment for modern technological research and development, which must equally be backed by required human capacity.
According to the national policy on renewable energy, it is projected that renewable energy sources will contribute an estimated 20 percent of the nation’s energy needs in the next five to ten years.
Renewable energy entails the ultilisation of solar, wind, hydro power, ocean among others as alternative to the known source of electricity and gas.
With Nigeria facing serious energy crisis due to declining electricity generation from domestic power plants which are basically dilapidated, obsolete, and unreliable, Analysts insists that the only solution to this current challenge is to channel strategy investment into research and development that will drive the utilisation of renewable energy.
Industry watchers are of the view that with bureaucracy and constant government lip service to the issue of funding for modern research in renewable energy resources utilisation, Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa by GDP will struggle among comity of nations that thrive in alternative electricity sources.
Government must play a useful role in promoting renewable energy technologies by investing in research studies to establish potential in both urban and rural areas while also building capacity, Anthony Agbongiarhuoyi, a Research Scientist observes.
“In Nigeria there is need for the Federal government to look at existing policies on renewable, energy take full advantage of it to boost her power generating capacity. This has become necessary in view of its great roles to our national development”. He said.
Recent finding indicate that the previous funding interventions by government in the area of research in some tertiary institutions in the early eighties are now in comatose as successive government refuse to pursue such initiative.
With a prevalent shortfall in a critical mass of well trained personnel to drive the renewable energy initiative couple with the near absence of any functional windmills across the country, industry experts are in doubt how the country hopes to achieve its lofty projection.
According to a recent information sheet published by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Nigeria is endowed with an annual daily sunshine that is averagely 6.25 hours, which is ranging between about 3.5 hours at the coastal areas of the northern boundary of the nations and also has an annual average daily solar radiation of about 3.5 KWm2/day in the coastal area which is in the southern part and 7.0 KWm2/ day at the northern boundary.
The report further indicates that Nigeria receives about 4909.212 kWh of energy from the sun which is equivalent to about 1.082 million tonnes of oil; this is about 4000 times the current crude oil production per day, and also put at about 13 thousand times of daily natural gas production based on energy unit.
Analysts further opines that Nigeria’s over reliance on depleting oil and gas while neglecting the inexhaustible renewable energy does not portend well especially in the era where countries are seeking alternative avenues to generate clean and healthy energy for the good of their citizen.
Smart Amaefula, a climate change expert observe that there is high-energy loss due to the physical deterioration of the transmission and distribution facilities, an inadequate metering system and an increase in the incidence of power theft through illegal connections.
“Nigeria has abundance of the vast oil and gas reserves, so also are abundance of renewable energy potentials, but the country still depends on alternatives that are still within the limits of fossil fuels, which are the only source that currently powers the nation economy” he said.
Kelechi Ewuzie