With the recent energy crisis in the developing countries
and especially in the Africa’s most populous country: Nigeria, one would think
countries as Nigeria would be investing heavily on other alternative and
renewable energy resources like Wind and Solar energy. Unfortunately it isn’t
so and the reason will certainly surprise you.
First
of all, what is renewable energy?
Renewable energy is a cheap and almost a free
energy. It is generally defined as
the energy that comes from
resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as
sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.
We will appreciate
this more when we compare it to the non-renewable energy sources that we have today like the
crude oil and coal that’s mined from fossil fuel deposits beneath the surface
of the earth.
Why non-renewable energy is not preferred in
Nigeria and Africa
 |
| Photo credits: Psc Solar Website |
Considering the rate
of fossil fuel use, it is estimated that worldwide reserves of Fossil fuels
will become extinguished by 2039. So we anticipate a global energy crisis if
nothing is done before then to avert the situation.
Apart from that, the
fossil fuel is not a clean source of energy. Its combustion releases dangerous
carbon emissions that deplete the ozone layer in our atmosphere, little wonder
Global warming has always been the re-occurring issue in several United Nations
meetings these days.
Renewable energy on
the other hand is completely clean.
Some
of the benefits of renewable energy source include:
- It is reliable;
- It is naturally renewable;
- It is clean and environmental friendly.
The
way forward for Nigeria
The government and private investors are key players
in this renewable energy revolution that is sweeping across the world now. I was privileged to meet Dr. Patrick Owelle who is
the M.D and CEO of PSC Industries Limited (PSC Solar). PSC Industries
Limited is a Solar Electricity and Renewable energy total Solutions Provider
located in Lagos, Nigeria. I particularly picked interest in this company
because they don’t only talk about the need for the switch to alternative
energy sources; they are actively involved in transforming a lot of lives via their highly affordable solar energy
Photo Voltaic panels, inverters and storage facilities. A look at the PSc Solar website is
certainly worth it.
In one of Dr. Owelle’s papers that
I got access to, he wrote:
“Traditional fossil fuels and conventional power generation methods have failed us in Africa or Africa has failed the traditional and conventional power generation methods, it is now time to do something else; namely deploying and integrating power from renewable sources like Solar, Wind and Biomass in to the national power Grids”
Personally,
I couldn’t agree more with him. So what is Nigeria still waiting for?
It’s
hard to tell. Over the years, Billions of dollars has been pumped into the
nation’s energy sector and yet no tangible result is seen.
But
the good news is that you don’t have to wait for the government this time. You
can light up your home at least using the abundant solar energy. All you need
is a complete solar converter set including Photo Voltaic panels, inverters and
batteries.
Chekwas Ojike is a Trained Physicist, a freelance writer. He owns Mymobnet.com where
he shares some Tech stuffs.
Do not forget to use the share buttons.
No comments
Post a Comment