7 Will a Transition to Renewable Energy Promote …
241
The history of power generation may see hydro to have contributed
significantly to electricity supply in Nigeria. But in reality, hydro resource
availability has not as possible been fully exploited as visible, especially
when considering an increased demand for electricity in the country.
Thus, much investment is needed in hydro technology, at least, small
hydropower systems. The Federal Government of Nigeria is poised to
continue to increase a share of power from hydro, with a target to
generate roughly 6156 MW by the end of 2020.
34 This will require
robust institutional, technological and financial commitments, in addition to addressing related critical investment barriers.
7.3.2 Solar Energy
The sun may be considered the world’s greatest sky-based natural
power plant, especially for some countries well-positioned geographically. Though solar energy appears to be the oldest source of power,
35
technology for harnessing it is not as old as the resource itself. Technology has only recently emerged to support solar energy utilization, and
a wide range of it including photovoltaic, solar heating, solar thermal
energy, solar architecture, molten salt power plants and artificial photosynthesis provide humanity with a great opportunity to fully maximize
solar potential. The sun, however, can be felt naturally on human health
and livelihoods without any technological processes of capturing and
conversion. This can also have wide natural implication for different
agricultural purposes.
36
There is the presence of radically aggressive sunlight in Nigeria, replete
with the huge solar energy potential of relatively daily distributed radiation circa 19.8 MJ m 2 on average.
37 The average sunlight at interval
34 IHA, ‘Nigeria: Nigeria Statistics’, https://www.hydropower.org/country-profiles/nigeria,
accessed 9 April 2020.
35 UI Ndaceko and others, ‘Solar Energy Potential in Nigeria’ (2014) 5(10) International Journal
of Scientific and Engineering Research, 594–598.
36 JK Yohanna and VI Umogbai, ‘Solar Energy Potentials and Utilisation in Nigeria Agriculture’
(2010) 2(3) Journal of Environmental Issues and Agriculture in Developing Countries, 10–21.
37 GET.invest (n 25).
241
The history of power generation may see hydro to have contributed
significantly to electricity supply in Nigeria. But in reality, hydro resource
availability has not as possible been fully exploited as visible, especially
when considering an increased demand for electricity in the country.
Thus, much investment is needed in hydro technology, at least, small
hydropower systems. The Federal Government of Nigeria is poised to
continue to increase a share of power from hydro, with a target to
generate roughly 6156 MW by the end of 2020.
34 This will require
robust institutional, technological and financial commitments, in addition to addressing related critical investment barriers.
7.3.2 Solar Energy
The sun may be considered the world’s greatest sky-based natural
power plant, especially for some countries well-positioned geographically. Though solar energy appears to be the oldest source of power,
35
technology for harnessing it is not as old as the resource itself. Technology has only recently emerged to support solar energy utilization, and
a wide range of it including photovoltaic, solar heating, solar thermal
energy, solar architecture, molten salt power plants and artificial photosynthesis provide humanity with a great opportunity to fully maximize
solar potential. The sun, however, can be felt naturally on human health
and livelihoods without any technological processes of capturing and
conversion. This can also have wide natural implication for different
agricultural purposes.
36
There is the presence of radically aggressive sunlight in Nigeria, replete
with the huge solar energy potential of relatively daily distributed radiation circa 19.8 MJ m 2 on average.
37 The average sunlight at interval
34 IHA, ‘Nigeria: Nigeria Statistics’, https://www.hydropower.org/country-profiles/nigeria,
accessed 9 April 2020.
35 UI Ndaceko and others, ‘Solar Energy Potential in Nigeria’ (2014) 5(10) International Journal
of Scientific and Engineering Research, 594–598.
36 JK Yohanna and VI Umogbai, ‘Solar Energy Potentials and Utilisation in Nigeria Agriculture’
(2010) 2(3) Journal of Environmental Issues and Agriculture in Developing Countries, 10–21.
37 GET.invest (n 25).