Renewable energy and the federal ministry of power; A closer look at hydropower and the role of renewable energy in Nigeria

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Damn. This country is blessed. Before you say anything, I know you've heard that a lot and it makes you wonder how badly we've mismanaged our resources. You could say with all we have, it's a mystery that renewable energy in Nigeria hasn't become a problem of the past but hey, I guess it's Africa, right? Wrong. 

There are many factors we could hold accountable for our current situation (Lord Lugard, I see you) but I'd rather not dwell on issues that we can't go back in time to fix. Rather, let's talk about what we have at the moment and how to make it better. Ladies and Gentlemen, let's talk Renewable Energy and the Federal Ministry of Power.

Now, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of power is responsible for the sustained provision of power (electricity) for the entire nation. That's pretty basic stuff you can find on the first page of the internet but our interest is in the renewable energy aspect of their job with a closer look at the one we have going for us; Hydropower. To be honest, it took me a while to come to terms with the fact that the country has three dams "functioning" to supply hydropower for the nation. The Kainji, Jebba, and shiroro dams operate at a 1.9 GW hydropower capacity, and seeing that figure, it sounds like a good thing (I mean, when you think of it in terms of data bundle and you hear "gig") but sometimes that's the only form it exists in - impressive statistics. In June 2020, it was reported that Nigeria's electricity consumption rate is 150 kilowatts per hour, which is one of the lowest in the world. This raises a lot of questions because how can a country that generates so much energy have so little of it being used? The answer is simple; access.

Every Nigerian knows that the on-grid situation in the country is pretty poor. Hell, the fact that it's possible to predict what week distribution companies like PHED and IBEDC will "bring light" and how many months after that where the generator is your best friend goes to show that we have a huge problem. Like you, I blame the government. How did you let the grid get so bad that too much power will make it crash and too little power will do the same thing? (I'm not kidding. Look it up). Unfortunately for us, the hydroelectric plants are currently on-grid power sources which means that there are a lot of regulations, private investors, organizations, and policy-related obstacles that make it almost impossible for citizens to have electricity. 

But there's always good news people, cause in the next post, we'll be looking at ways to improve access and get renewable energy like hydropower to regular citizens so that you and I can stop swearing for NEPA (P.S. it doesn't exist anymore). See you then.


Have any thoughts on renewable energy? let me know now in the comment section.


Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 26, 2020 at 10:20 AM

    We definitely can't wait for your next post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kidd informantOctober 26, 2020 at 3:26 PM

      Thank you. I'll be sure to make it worth the wait.

      Delete

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