2.1.5 Biomass Biomass energy or bio-energy refers to energy derived from the conversion of biomass...

Social and Economic Acceptance of Renewable Energy Innovation

in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty

Eradication in Nigeria

By

Mr. Abdulkareem Ozi Aliyu and Mr. Ja’afaru Yahaya Bawa

A Paper Presented at the Sixth NAEE/IAEE International Conference with the Theme: Energy Resource Management in a Federal System:

Challenges, Constraints and Strategies

April,2013

Flow of Discussion

1.0 Introduction: Renewable Energy In Nigeria

2.0 Renewable Energy Resources/ Potentials in Nigeria

3.0 Can Renewable Energy Contributes to Sustainable Development in Nigeria

4.0 Benefits from the Shift to Renewable Sources: Promoting the RE Story

5.0 Implication of Social and Economic Sustainable Development Pathways for Renewable Energy

6.0 Barriers and Opportunities for RE in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication

7.0 Analysis of Nigeria situation and Recommendations

8.0 Conclusion

1.0 Introduction: Renewable Energy In Nigeria

Renewable energy sources have contributed to Nigeria’s energy mix for centuries now, albeit in a largely primitive way.

Fuel wood or what is commonly referred to as woody biomass is the longest standing primary energy source for rural Nigeria, and indeed, for much of the African continent.

Large hydropower has also featured substantially as an energy source, providing about 32 percent of Nigeria’s national electric grid supply.

Nigeria’s adoption of ‘new’ renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, small hydropower and efficient biomass is relatively recent.

The country is endowed with significant, even abundant quantities of each of these resources.

1.0 Introduction: Renewable Energy In Nigeria Cont.

Despite this huge potential, the existing renewable energy projects in Nigeria are very few and far between.

A handful of wealthy individuals and corporations have installed standalone renewable energy systems to supplement the erratic power supply from the national grid, but there is no official estimate of the number.

The government of Nigeria has done much to suggest an understanding of the need for action on developing renewable.

A review of Nigeria’s grossly under-utilized Renewable Energy resources, in terms of its potentials, capacity, and development reveals an abundance of resources that can be harnessed to make Nigeria one of the most industrialized countries in the world.

2.0 Renewable Energy Resources/ Potentials in Nigeria

2.1.1 Solar Photovoltaic

Solar radiation is abundant in Nigeria, but the exact exploitable solar resource base currently available in the country is not known.

Nigeria is far behind developing countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany in developing solar photovoltaic technology.

Local research and development activity in this technology is scanty, with very little to show for it.

The few photovoltaic installations in the country are all imported. Because solar photovoltaic technology is mainly imported into Nigeria, acquisition costs are prohibitive.

This is the single greatest challenge that needs to be surmounted to achieve widespread dissemination of solar photovoltaic's in the country.

2.0 Renewable Energy Resources/ Potentials in Nigeria Cont.

2.1.2 Solar Thermal

Solar thermal appliances generate non-electricity energy from solar radiation. A lot of advancement has been made globally in solar thermal technology.

In Nigeria, considerable research work has been done in this area.

Solar dryers, solar water heaters, solar cookers and solar chick brooders have been developed in various research laboratories around the country.

However many of these locally developed appliances, while functional, have not yet been developed to international standards.

Public awareness of the benefits and potential of solar thermal systems is still very limited. Also, the failure of decision makers at all levels to recognise solar thermal energy as a valid energy supply option is another problem.


2.1.3 Wind

Nigeria falls into the poor/moderate wind zone.

Wind speeds are highest in the coastal areas of the South and in the hilly regions of the North.

Wind energy utilization in Nigeria is practically minimal and relatively insignificant.

The low level of technological development in Nigeria is probably the major cause of high wind energy costs in the country.

There is currently no local supplier or manufacturer of wind energy systems in Nigeria.

Ironically, wind energy was harnessed for pumping water in Nigeria as early as the 1960’s.


2.1.4 Small Hydropower

Nigeria has an abundant supply of rainfall, dams, rivers and streams distributed all over the country.

About 30 percent of the nation’s grid-connected electricity is generated from large hydropower stations.

This utilisation represents only 14 percent of the country’s total exploitable hydro potential, leaving an untapped 86 percent. Small hydropower schemes are particularly advantageous because they can be developed independently of the national grid a feature which is especially desirable for rural, remote electrification.

It’s a bit surprising that small hydropower technology, though proven to be locally feasible, still defies large scale implementation in Nigeria.

2.0 Renewable Energy Resources/ Potentials in Nigeria Cont.2.1.5 Biomass

Biomass energy or bio-energy refers to energy derived from the conversion of biomass into liquid or gaseous fuel.

Wood is currently the main source of fuel for over 70 percent of the Nigerian population, particularly rural dwellers.

Nigeria is naturally rich in fuelwood, but excessive wood-gathering activity has caused critical depletion of this resource.

Nigeria’s annual production of agricultural biomass is enormous. 94 percent and 68 percent of Nigerian households are engaged in crop farming and livestock farming respectively.


Biogas and biofuel technologies are used for the conversion of organic biomass matter to gaseous and liquid states respectively.

Biogas research started in Nigeria in 1982. Since then, research activity has been sustained, but not strongly enough to make the technology attain commercial status in the country.

So far, less than twenty biogas pilot projects exist in the country.

In Nigeria, several briquette production machines have been developed by the energy research centres. As is the case with improved woodstoves, the research centres shoulder most of the responsibility for development and dissemination of biomass briquetting technology. Design, marketing, training, operation and maintenance of this technology are all handled by the research centres.

3.0 Can Renewable Energy Contributes to Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Nigeria is at a critical juncture in its development trajectories. Confronted with internal challenges of persistent poverty and unemployment,

The resource basis of energy sector is facing threats of environmental degradation, including deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, loss of biodiversity, depletion and effects of climate change. At the same time, these challenges represent opportunities for change.

Renewable energy innovation may offer considerable opportunities for mobilizing RE resources/technologies toward a low-emission, climate resilient development pathway. However, the combination of tackling poverty, accelerating growth and development, and addressing climate change, is likely to involve trade-offs and policy choices between mutually supportive, but equally important priorities toward the improvement of welfare and quality of life for Nigeria’s citizens.

3.0 Can Renewable Energy Contributes to Sustainable Development in Nigeria Cont.

RE offers the opportunity to contribute to a number of important SD goals:

(1) Social and economic development;

(2) Energy access;

(3) Energy security;

(4)Climate change mitigation and the reduction of environmental and health impacts.


The mitigation of dangerous anthropogenic climate change is seen as one strong driving force behind the increased use of RE worldwide.

RE technologies offer opportunities for modernization of energy services in Nigeria, for example, using solar energy for water heating and crop drying, biofuels for transportation, biogas and modern biomass for heating, cooling, cooking and lighting, and wind for water pumping.

RE deployment can contribute to energy security by diversifying energy sources and diminishing dependence on a limited number of suppliers, therefore reducing the economy’s vulnerability to price volatility.


RE technologies can also offer benefits with respect to air pollution and health. Non-combustion based RE power generation technologies have the potential to significantly reduce local and regional air pollution and lower associated health impacts compared to fossil-based power generation.

Non-thermal RE technologies or thermal RE technologies using dry cooling can provide energy services without additional stress on water resources.

The creation of employment opportunities and actively promoting structural change in the economy are seen, especially in industrialized countries, as goals that support the promotion of RE.

Table 1: Transition to Renewable Energy in Rural (off-grid) Areas

Source: (REN21, 2010)

Rural Energy Service Existing Off-Grid Rural Energy Sources Examples of New and Renewable Energy Sources

Lighting and other small electric needs(homes, schools, street, telecom, hand tools, vaccine storage)

Candles,kerosene,batteries,central battery recharging by carting batteries to grid

Hydropower(pico-scale, micro-scale, small-scale

Biogas from household-scale digester

Small scale biomass gasifier with gas engine

Village –scale mini-grids and solar/wind hybrid systems

Solar home systems

Communications(televisions,radios,cell phones)

Dry cell batteries, central battery recharging by carting batteries to grid

Hydropower(pico-scale, micro-scale, small-scale)


Small-scale biomass gasifier with gas engine

Village-scale mini grids and solar/wind hybrid systems

Solar home system

Table 1: Transition to Renewable Energy in Rural (off-grid) Areas Cont.

Cooking(homes, commercial stoves and ovens)

Burning wood,dung,or straw in open fire at about 15% efficient

Improved cooking stoves(fuel wood, crop wastes)with efficiencies above 25%


Solar cookers

Heating and cooling (crop dying and other agricultural processing, hot water)

Mostly open fire from wood,dung,and straw

Improved heating stove

Biogas from small-and medium-scale digesters

Solar crop dryers

Solar water heaters

Ice making for food preservation

Fans from small grid renewable system

Process motive power(small industry)

Diesel engines and generators

Small electricity grid systems from microhydro, gasifiers, direct combustion, and large biodigesters

Water pumping(agriculture and drinking water)

Diesel pumps and generators

Mechanical wind pumps

Solar PV pumps

Small electricity grid systems from microhydro, gasifiers, direct combustion, and large biodigesters.

Table 2: Possibilities for improving the position of poverty through Renewable Energy

Energy Form Practical Productive Strategic

Electricity - pumping water: reducing need to haul and carry

- mills for grinding

- lighting improves working conditions at home

- increase possibility of activities during evening hours

- provide refrigeration for food production and sale

- power for specialised enterprises such as hairdressing and internet cafes

- make streets safer: allowing participation in other activities (e.g. evening classes and women’s group meetings)

- open horizons through radio, TV and internet

Improved biomass (supply and conversion technology)

- improved health through better stoves

- less time and effort in gathering and carrying firewood

- more time for productive activities

- lower cost of process heat for income generating activities

- control of natural forests in community forestry management frameworks

Mechanical - milling and grinding

- transport and portering of water and crops

- increases variety of enterprises

- transport: allowing access to commercial and social/political opportunities

Table 3: Number of People (millions) Relying on Traditional Biomass for Cooking in 2009

Source: (IEA, 2010b).

Region Total

Africa 657

Sub-Saharan Africa 653

Developing Asia 1,937

China 423

India 855

Other Asia 659

Latin America 85

Developing Countries 2,679

World 2,679

4.0 Benefits from the shift to renewable sources: Promoting the RE Story

Shifting Nigeria’s electric energy supply system to renewable sources has a number of benefits

Much of Nigeria’s RE potential lies in the fact that renewable are essentially limitless in supply; they are large non polluting and otherwise inoffensive to the environment, they are versatile in application size, location and customer; require no importation and (excepting biomass) have no fuel costs.

In addition to their obvious environment and health benefits, renewable electricity generation offers a number of social and political advantages.

4.0 Benefits from the shift to renewable sources: Promoting the RE Story Cont.

“For example the UNDP points out that renewable resources are more evenly

distributed than fossil and nuclear resources, and energy flows from

renewable resources are more than three orders of magnitude higher than current

global energy use” (UNDP, 2000).


By providing the potential for wider and more universal access to electricity, renewable sources may contribute to social equity.

In addition to being potentially more equitable, renewable sources also may offer enhanced security of energy supply .

Another benefit of many renewable electricity sources is that they are able to produce significantly higher levels of employment than similar investments in traditional electricity supply.


“The Canadian Wind Energy Association (2004) states that for every million dollars invested, an average of 36.3% jobs are created in the energy efficiency sector or 12.2% in the renewable energy sector. For every millions dollars invested in conventional energy, an average of only 7.3% jobs are created”.

By creating employment opportunities and stimulating the economy, renewable electricity policies can lead to significant community economic development.

Table 3: Incremental Level of Access to Energy Services

Source: (AGECC, 2010 based on IEA data and analysis).Note: kgoe=kilogram(s) of oil equivalent.

Level 1Basic Human Needs

Level 2Productive Uses

Level 3Modern Society Needs

Electricity for lighting,health,education,communication and community services(50-100 kwh per person per year)

Electricity, Modern Fuels and Other Energy Services to improve productivity e.g-Agriculture: water pumping for irrigation,fertilizer,mechanized tilling-commercial: agricultural processing, cottage industry-Transport: fuel

Modern Energy Services for many more domestic appliances, increased requirements for cooling and heating(space and water),private transportation(electricity usage is around 2,000 kwh per person per year)

Modern Fuels and Technologies for Cooking and Heating (50-100 kgoe of modern fuel or improved biomass cook stove)

5.0 Implication of Social and Economic Sustainable Development Pathways for Renewable Energy

Social and economic development of the future

The limitation of emissions, concentrations, or more generally radioactive forcing is used to study the most cost effective pattern of emission reductions. These analyses are typically based on a variety of socioeconomic, technological and geopolitical assumptions extending over periods of decades to a century or more.

First note that, not surprisingly, GDP reductions are associated with a GHG constraint, independent from a particular technology portfolio. That is to say, mitigation in general decreases economic growth, at least in situation that do not consider the feedbacks from a changing climate.

5.0 Implication of Social and Economic Sustainable Development Pathways for Renewable Energy Cont.

Second, by limiting the options available for constraining GHGs, GDP losses increase. It follows that economic development will be lower when the ability to deploy RE technologies is limited.

Even with huge advances in energy efficiency, their development process is likely to still involve substantial growth in energy consumption. The key challenge of deploying a carbon-free energy system in developing countries is to overcome the higher LCOEs of RE (and other low-carbon technologies) compared to current market prices.

6.0 Barriers and Opportunities for RE in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication

Policy and regulatory barrierWell-formed policies are essential for the successful implementation of any technology in a country.

Financial and market barrierAccording to an opinion survey of renewable energy experts, financing is the main barrier for rural renewable energy projects.

Widespread implementation of renewable energy in Nigeria requires significant, even heavy financial investment by both the public and private sectors.

Banks and other financial institutions also have a part to play in the energy revolution. Innovative and affordable financing plans must be readily available to individuals for the procurement of renewable energy systems.

6.0 Barriers and Opportunities for RE in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication Cont.

Technological barrier

Lack of local skilled labour to operate and maintain renewable energy equipment is another major deterrent to their widespread adoption, especially in rural Nigeria.

Furthermore there is a general lack of knowledge among the people about acceptable quality and standards of technology.

Renewable energy education has not been incorporated into the academic curriculum of universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.


Research and development into locally suitable renewable energy technologies by government-commissioned institutions so far has not been sufficient to engender widespread dissemination of

solutions to the specific energy needs of people.

Institutional barrierNigeria lacks strong institutional leadership for renewable energy.

An efficient institutional framework is the element that will provide direction and coordination for all renewable energy activities in Nigeria.

6.0 Barriers and Opportunities for RE in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication Cont.The primary government body for the development and implementation of renewable energy in the country is the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) established in 1979.Part of the mandate of the ECN is to: Develop, promote and harness the country’s renewable energy resources and incorporate all viable ones into the national energy mix;

Promote decentralised energy supply, especially in rural areas, based on renewable energy resources;

De-emphasize and discourage the use of wood as fuel;

Promote efficient methods in the use of biomass energy resources;

Keep abreast of international developments in renewable energy technologies and applications.

Their performance can make all the difference between the success and failure of well laid-out plans.


Socio-cultural barrier

This has to do with the awareness, perception and attitudes of people to new renewable energy technologies. To the majority of Nigerians, renewable energy technology in all its forms is completely novel.

About 70 percent of Nigerians most of who live in rural areas does not have access to proper means of information dissemination.

For some people, the hurdle of awareness has been crossed and they actually have an idea of the concept of renewable systems. However, widespread acceptance of the technology is yet to be achieved.


Renewable energy technologies are generally perceived to be used with discomfort or sacrifice rather than as providing equivalent services with less energy and cost.

Moreover, the local culture, religion, superstitions, practices and beliefs of various communities are bound to influence their view of the net benefits to be derived from any new technology introduced to them.

7.0 Analysis of Nigeria situation and Recommendations

International and national strategies for sustainable development

In the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, governments were called upon with a sense of urgency to substantially increase the global share of RE and to take immediate steps towards national strategies for SD by 2005

Integrating RE policy into NSDS(National Sustainable Development Strategies) will provides a framework for Nigeria to select specific policy instruments, to incorporate concerns of other countries into our own, and to align with international policy measures.

7.0 Analysis of Nigeria situation and Recommendations Cont.

Removal of mechanisms that work against sustainable developmentThe removal of fossil fuel subsidies has the potential to open up opportunities for more extensive use or even market entry of RE. It decreases the artificially widened competitive advantage of fossil fuels and may free spending on fossil fuel subsidies to be redirected to R&D and deployment of RE technologies.

Accordingly, reforming subsidies towards the use of RE technologies should necessarily go along with addressing the specific needs of the poor. - The first direction is expanding rural electrification, as poor households tend to live in areas without electricity service .

- Second, if electrification is not viable or better low-cost options exist, RE off-grid technologies are an alternative.


More generally, the elimination or reduction of barriers to trade can facilitate access to RE and other environmental goods that can contribute to climate change mitigation by fostering a better dissemination of technologies at lower costs.

Integrating renewable energy and sustainable development strategies

Opportunities for RE to play a role in national strategies for SD can be approached in two ways:

1) by integrating SD and RE goals into development policies and plans such as budgeting processes and Poverty Reduction Strategy Plans; and

2) by development of sectoral strategies for RE contributing to goals for green growth, low-carbon and sustainable development.


Policy targets for RE can be helpful to mobilize the Nigeria people and resources and to monitor progress. By 2010, more than 85 countries worldwide had adopted policy targets for the share of RE; typically 5 to 30% for electricity production.

Examples of targets for final energy are

15% by 2020 in China, 20% by 2020 in the EU and

100% by 2013 in the small island states of Fiji and Tonga

To harness the full potential of RE sources in Nigeria, major technological changes are needed along with policies and regulation to ensure a sustainable, effective and efficient use of energy sources and technologies.

8.0 Conclusion

Despite the potential existence of several technically, economically and environmentally feasible development pathways in Nigeria, it is the human components that will ultimately define the success of any such RE strategy.

Local Sustainable Development initiatives by cities, local governments, and private and nongovernmental organizations can act as important drivers of change in this context.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR KIND

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