Leveraging fossil fuel resources to drive sustainable energy aspiration

The glamour for sustainable development across the globe entails a common drive towards the good for the future of all humanity. Studies of the effects on the ecosystem of a number of major physical, economic and social problems are being studied.

With the energy sector especially petroleum as a fossil fuel often seen as a major culprit when it comes to the issue of carbon emission that continues to damage the climate, it has therefore become apparent that the sector play a key role in the drive to achieve the aspiration of a cleaner and eco-friendly environment.

Analysts and industry watchers insist that Nigeria need to leverage on the resources from fossil fuel development to invest in more sustainable forms of energy. This to them is the best to achieve her aspiration of supporting global communities to combat climate change.

They observe that oil and gas bank to a large extent accounted for detriment of the environment as we see today in the issues of oil spill, gas flaring and destruction of ozone layers. In their various opinions, analysts insist that there is the need for a sense of urgency to address these issues stressing that the country has the demography of energy consumers with an estimated 170 million people.

X-raying issues around sustainable energy

Sustainable development as project by environmentalist is seen as the type of development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs.

It means that if we, who inhabit the eco system today, do not do things or continue to impair the capacity of the ecosystem to meet the needs of future generation. That is what makes the story of sustainable development key and a global issue.

The role of inclusive development in the past, the market operated in a way that only benefit a few and actually impoverish majority. The market cannot continue to operate effectively unless in its operation, it benefits the few and the majority that is what makes sustainability very important.

It is now organised that we have a shared responsibility, shared by all countries, all nations, all sectors and all stakeholders all have a role to play in ensuring we do what we need to do.

Industry experts opine that the desertification in the north and its spin-off effect especially for nomadic communities has become apparent that Nigeria needs to lead Africa to have a bigger voice at the table when it comes to negotiating a lot of these international climate related agreements because they have real implication to us as a country.

Achieving sustainable development the right approach

Victor Eromosele, an energy expert observes that sustainable energy is the way to the future. He disclosed that report indicates that renewable energy accounts for 2 percent of world energy mix but in terms of generation today, according to statistics in 2015, renewable account for 6.7 percent.

Eromosele observe that Nigeria hold the lowest solar capacities in Africa questioning the basis for the country’s claim of being the giant of Africa, when manager of the economy cannot fund investment that will help the country tap the huge potential that solar energy presents us.

“We are very good at setting targets in Nigeria, but how good are we in achieving them”, he query.

“Nigeria government promised that the country is going provide between 13 and 14 gigawatts of solar, we do not even have a gigawatts of solar today. You have a grid that has only 5 gigawatts so where are you going to put the 14 from solar” he said.

The energy expert pointed out that planet, people and profit are all what the major oil companies are after. Climate change is a potentially irrevocable change. This simply means that if we do nothing, we are going to be in big trouble.

“In 2015 renewable energy with 15.3 percent recorded the largest growth in global incremental power generation of that, gas fared less than 2 percent, solar over 5 percent”.

“We spend all of our lives and time as a country looking for energy below the ground, coal, oil, gas when God have given us the sun”. He added.

According to him, “the amount of electricity from the sun can power whole a country for a year so how could we have ignored that “.Solar technology is 85 percent cheaper than it was 5 years ago”

Analysts in pointing the way further towards using the resources gained from fossil fuel to invest in sustainable energy suggested that there is the need to have some kind of credible system that allow manager of the economy and all stakeholders to check off progress and report that progress in a way that makes it possible for the government and the various stakeholders to appreciate those gaps where they exist and the steps that needs to be taken to close these gaps.

They advocated that part of the sustainable energy solution is not only going away from fossil fuel, but also using fossil fuel more efficiently. This can also mitigate some of the impact that we now see in the environment. It is not only about zero fossil fuel usage but Nigeria is sitting on 184 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Gas produce less greenhouse emission, it is cheaper, cleaner.

“In the last 5 years, we have seen a switch to the use of compressed natural gas. In 2010 there was only user of compressed natural gas converted for industrial consumption but now we have close to 40. So we could do something to also leverage on the ultilisation of more efficient less polluting fossil fuel sources”. They added.

They maintain that all stakeholders in the oil and gas space must take advantage of the current pricing regime of the premium motor spirit (PMS) to push for vehicular use of gas as an alternative to PMS and diesel.

KELECHI EWUZIE