“Time for Nigeria to look beyond fossil fuel”

Nigeria depends on natural gas for 70 per cent of its power generation, yet many depend on generators for their electricity needs, write Rebecca Olorunisola, 24, a Correspondent from Lagos in Nigeria, as she makes the case for investing in renewable energy sources.

In February 2016, it was reported for the first time in the history of Nigeria’s electricity generation profile that 5,074 MW power was generated. But the rise in the generation was short-lived.

The next month, it was reported that power generation collapsed completely to zero megawatt, a development that plunged the country into darkness for three hours.

The fall in electricity generation is always attributed to vandalism of gas pipelines and destruction of other vital infrastructure in the industry by miscreants.

The country continues to grapple with the problem of epileptic power generation despite the possession of an abundance of natural gas resources.

Nigeria is also blessed with vast renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro and wind. But not much attention has been paid to the development of renewable energy, which is one of the means of tackling the global challenge of climate change.

The transition from fossil fuel such as natural gas to renewable energy is paramount in providing the country with clean energy, as it will solve the problem of pollution caused by the use of fossil fuel.

According to a report published in This Day Newspaper on March 15, 2015, Nigeria has the potential to exploit abundant solar energy resources that come with its geographical location around the equatorial sun-belt.

The country receives plentiful sunshine all year round, ranging from 6.07/kwh/m2/day in Borno to roughly 4.06kwh/m2/d in locations such as Calabar in Cross River state.

The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has a daily horizontal solar radiation ranging from a high of 6.07/kwh/m2/d to a low of 4.42/kwh/m2/d in August. This level of solar radiation across the country can support huge deployment of solar power infrastructures designed to primarily feed in to the regional power distribution entities.

Nigeria should take a cue from countries that have developed their renewable energy resources in a bid to diversify their energy mix and provide cleaner energy to their citizens.

The South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme, implemented since 2011, has proven to be a large success, with 6.3 GW of renewable energy procured by the state-owned power firm Eskom since its inception.

That is about 15 per cent of South African installed power generation capacity. At the end of 2015, more than 2.2 GW of the 6.3 GW new procured power had been commissioned and injected daily into the grid.

In 2014, Denmark set a world record for wind production, getting 39.1 per cent of its overall electricity from the clean energy source. The latest figures put the country well on track to meet its 2020 goal of getting 50 per cent of its power from renewables. It has the goal of including 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050.

In the United Kingdom, wind power also smashed records in 2014, as generation rose 15 per cent from 24.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) hours to 28.1 TWh. The country now generates enough wind energy to supply the needs of more than 6.7 million UK households.

According to Berlin-based think-tank Agora Energiewende, renewable energy was the biggest contributor to Germany’s electricity supply in 2014, with nearly 26 per cent of the country’s power generation coming from clean sources.

As part of the move to increase the use of renewable energy in Nigeria, the Federal Executive Council last year approved a new draft National Policy on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. The policy primarily aims at increasing access to electricity using a mix of renewable energy sources.

While commenting on the policy, then-Minister of Power, Mr. Chinedu Nebo, noted that Nigeria was blessed with several sources of energy like biomass, wind, hydro and solar, saying, “It has become necessary to ensure the optimal use of these resources as never been done by past policies.”

There is a need for the Nigerian government to reduce its dependence on fossil fuel and look to renewable energy to support the effort of the global community on climate change.

Transitioning from fossil fuel to renewable energy in Nigeria will also help achieve improved power generation, which is sacrosanct to the development of the country’s economy.

photo credit: Tiger Generator: Powerhouse for Wuse Market via photopin (license)

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About me: I am a staff writer with an online news magazine, Echo News Online.  My vision is to create media content that will inspire, educate and renew the mind of people. I am passionate about advocating for and empowering abused women.

I hope to be known as a woman that stands against gender based violence. I love to look good, have fun and make new friends. Above all, I love God and pray to become all he wants me to be.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?
To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/

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