A GOODWILL MESSAGE AT THE NIGERIAN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY EXPO (NAEE) 2013, 16TH-18TH OCTOBER 2013. BY CHAIRMAN, PTFP

1. A GOODWILL MESSAGE
AT THE NIGERIAN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY EXPO (NAEE) 2013,
16TH-18TH OCTOBER 2013.
BY
CHAIRMAN, PTFP
SALUTATIONS
INTRODUCTION
Economies of Africa are developing and a lot of diversification is taking place,
this has led to continuous growth and transformation of the African economy.
There is also a rapid increase in population; and to cope with this population
increase sustained economic growth is inevitable. It is not rocket science to
know that a sustainable economic growth cannot be attained without investment
in the energy sector. An efficient use of a nation’s energy resources clearly
advocates for diversification in the energy sector of that nation and hence the
introduction of alternative energy in the energy mix of the country. The
importance of the Nigeria Alternative Energy Expo (NAEE) cannot be
overemphasized as it creates an opportunity for stakeholders in the Nigerian
energy sector to meet, share ideas and rub minds on the way forward and
proffer solutions to the issue of enhancing the contribution of alternative energy
to our energy mix.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Africa has
the potential and the ability to utilise its renewable resources to fuel the majority
of its future growth. Embarking on such an act would be economically
competitive with other solutions thus unlocking economies of scale, and
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2. offering substantial benefits in terms of equitable development, local value
creation, energy security, and environmental sustainability (IRENA, 2013).
ENERGY IN NIGERIA
Nigeria is currently working on reforming the Energy Sector. This includes the
use of conventional and alternative energy sources. The Roadmap for Power
Sector Reform indicates that with the high capital costs and long lead times
required to develop commercial power generation through solar, wind, nuclear
and biomass, the Federal Government will initially focus its development
efforts on hydro, coal and natural gas. The potential of natural gas, in particular,
will be prioritised and incentives will be provided to investors to exploit this
resource to its fullest potential. (The Presidency, 2010). Another reason for the
focus on conventional energy source is the fact that the country is working on
stabilizing the grid in the short to medium term. This does not presuppose
ignorance on the part of Government regarding the great potential from other
alternative energy sources. There is therefore no gain saying that in harnessing
the abundant capacity of our alternative energy base, we are working
assiduously with various Government MDAs to put in place a framework that
would seamlessly integrate energy generated from such sources and speed up its
capacity additions.
Also, the Government of Nigeria is aware of the effects of climate change and
the fact that alternative energy sources will help ameliorate such negative
impacts, for this reason the Government of Nigeria is working on promoting
eco-friendly power plants by investing in renewable sources of electricity such
as solar, hydro, geothermal, wind and biomass. Nigeria has a Renewable Energy
Master Plan which acts as a roadmap for achieving a substantial share of the
national energy supply mix through alternative energy sources. It also outlines
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3. ways by which local understanding of alternative energy technologies will be
improved via capacity building, research and development.
According to the Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP), Nigeria has
alternative energy resources including large and small hydroelectric power
resources, solar energy, biomass, wind and potentials for hydrogen utilization;
and development of geothermal and ocean energy (ECN & UNDP, 2005).
ECN & UNDP (2005) study extimates show that Nigeria has a capacity from
………. Table 1 presents estimated renewable energy resources in Nigeria,
excluding potential hydrogen, ocean and geothermal energy.
Table 1: Energy Source in Nigeria excluding potential hydrogen, ocean and
geothermal (ECN & UNDP, 2005)
Energy Source
Capacity
Large Hydropower
10,000 MW
Small Hydropower
734 MW
Fuel Wood
13,071,464 hectares (forest land 1981)
Animal waste
61million tones/yr
Crop Residue
83million tones/yr
Solar Radiation
3.5-7.0kWh/m2-day
Wind
2-4 m/s (annual average)
The REMP sets out six distinct activities with concrete milestones to be reached
within the plan period, 2005-2025. These activities are organized around the
following programmes:
1. Framework Program-me for Renewable Energy Promotion;
2. Nigerian Solar Programme;
3. Nigerian Small Hydro Programme;
4. Nigerian Wind Programme;
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4. 5. Nigerian Biomass Programme; and
6. New Energy Research and Development Programme.
The various programs reflect a twenty-year commitment to realize the targets of
the Master Plan for all the renewable energy sub-sectors. The programs will
address R&D, database, market as well as capacity issues in realizing the targets
of the REMP.
Table 2: Renewable Energy Resources in Nigeria (adapted from (Sambo,
Reserves
S/No
Resource Type
(Natural Units
Production
Domestic
Utilization
(Natural Units)
1
Large Hydropower
11,250 MW
1938 MW
1938 MW
2
Small Hydropower
3,500 MW
30 MW
30 MW
3
Solar Radiation
3.5 - 7.0 KWh/m2/day (4.2
million MWh/day using 0.1%
Nigeria land area)
≅6
MWh/day
Solar PV
≅ 6 MWh/day
Solar PV
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Wind
(2-4) m/s at 10m height (main
land)
-
-
Fuel wood
11 million
hectares of forest
and wood land
0.120 million
tonnes/day
0.120 million
tonnes/day
Animal
waste
211 million
assorted animals
0.781 million
tonnes of
waste/day
Not available
Energy
Crops and
Agric
Residue
28.2 million
hectares of
Arable Land
(≅30% of total
land)
0.256 million
tonnes of
assorted
crops/day
Not available
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Biomass
Excess of
1.2m
tonnes/day
2010)
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5. Alternative Energy Applicatiion to Rural Electrification
“COWS TO KILOWATTS” PROJECT
IRENA reports that ……The Bodija Abattoir in Ibadan, Nigeria, slaughters and
processes more than 1,000 cows per day. In 2008, it inaugurated the awardwinning “Cows to kilowatts” scheme, designed in collaboration with a technology
institute in Thailand. It makes use of Slaughter-house waste to produce biogas for
clean cooking fuel and power generation, as well as fertiliser for low-income
farmers. Approximately 1,800 cubic metres of methane per day are used as
household cooking gas to be sold locally to around 5,400 households each month
at significantly lower cost than currently available sources of natural gas. The plant
can also produce up to 1 MW of electricity. The left-over sludge from the reactor is
used to create 1,500 litres of environmentally safe organic fertiliser for low-income
farmers, reducing water pollution.
The project has created local jobs and stimulated local industry. As abattoirs are
common in most cities, the Bodija Abattoir biogas project is replicable across
Africa, and can help build more sustainable towns and cities. (IRENA, 2013).
THE WAYA SMALL HYDRO SYSTEM
The Waya small hydropower project was originally designed in 2001 to irrigate
2,000 hectares of agricultural land in Bauchi, northern Nigeria. In 2003, it was
chosen as one of two small pilot hydropower demonstration projects, funded by
UNIDO and China, to provide electricity to rural communities. Designed, managed
and operated locally, today it provides 24/7 electricity to 2,250 people. “We don’t
have to go to town to grind our maize now,” says 38-year old Umar Abdullahi.
“We have over nine grinding machines in our area that can take care of our villages
and beyond.” Aishatu Sani, a housewife, said that since her husband bought a
grinding machine they earn between 3,000–4,000 naira (USD 20–25) per day,
which helps them to buy food and clothes for their children (IRENA, 2013).
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6. These are few examples of rural electrification projects. There are ongoing large
scale wind and solar projects such as the 10MW wind farm project in Katsina State
and the 50MW Photo Voltaic project in Kaduna State. More focus is required on
alternative energy sources as this will help Nigeria in meeting the MDGs target.
While energy alone does not guarantee progress in meeting MDGs, the diffusion of
nonconventional or alternative energy sources is supportive of efforts to ensure
environmental sustainability, fast-track poverty reduction, decline in the burden of
diseases, provision of safe water supply and sanitation, school enrolment, quality
education and gender equality.
There is a lot that can be achieved in Nigeria such as Solar cities due to the amount
of irradiation in some parts of the country, getting ethanol from municipal solid
waste due to the amount of waste generated in the country, harnessing power from
geothermal sources etc. People can also be encouraged to generate electricity in
their homes, this will not only win them incentives, when policies are put in
place, but can be a form of education for children at home on energy based
businesses and the ethics of sustainability. All these efforts will help in reducing
greenhouse gases and thus saving the environment we live in.
We therefore welcome the public sector, private sector, Non-Governmental
Organisations, Intergovernmental agencies, individuals and all stakeholders to this
platform that has been created to showcase progress made so far in alternative
energy developments, challenges and options for generation, transmission,
distribution and management of Nigeria’s energy sector. I am very confident that
this Expo will be a great success.
God bless the Alternative Energy Forum, God bless the Federal Republic of
Nigeria!
REFRENCES
ECN & UNDP. (2005). RENEWABLE ENERGY MASTER PLAN.
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7. IRENA. (2013). Africa's Renewable Energy Future: The Path to Sustainable Growth.
Abu Dhabi: International Renewable Energy Agency.
Sambo, A. S. (2010). Renewable Energy Development in Nigeria. World Future
Council/ Strategy Workshop on Renewable Energy. Accra.
The Presidency. (2010). Roadmapfor Power Sector Reform. Abuja: The Presidency
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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