Godwin Haruna
3 June 2008
analysis
Lagos — Energy has been described as the fundamental base of any industrial process anywhere in the world. Despite this truism, Nigeria 's energy supply has been going down irredeemably for some years now.
After a painstaking research, some young Nigerians have declared that the solution to the seemingly intractable power crisis lies in solar and wind-driven energy.
Even before the House of Representatives Committee on Power conducted the probe of the sector sometime ago, the problem of energy has remained one of the major bottlenecks in the country's industrialization quest. Never in the history of the country has it suffered so much power outages as has been witnessed in the last few years. It has almost become a national tragedy and that is why tongues are wagging as to why President Umaru Yar'Adua has not declared an emergency in the sector as he promised on assumption of office. The question most people are asking now is, when will the power crisis end?
Speaking to THISDAY in Lagos last week, Mr. Bunmi Ogundare, chief executive officer, Africa-Asia Global Services, said the solution to the nagging power crisis in the country, lies in sourcing alternative energy. Ogundare said the epileptic nature of power supply being witnessed around the country made his organization to undertake a research to find lasting ways to end the crisis. He said the research that took his team overseas and elsewhere has come up with a solution in the renewable power source, which is what Nigeria needs to overcome the almost intractable power scare.
He said his organization was particularly looking in the direction of water, sun and wind, which could be effectively deployed into generating electricity in the country. "We have abundant resources in Nigeria to make these sources of energy work. We have been to India , where these things are being put to good use, we also know of the United States and China where there are working well," he said.
According to him, virtually all the countries referred to as Asian tigers derive their energy supplies from the renewable sources mentioned above. He said most of them depend on solar and wind energy to power their heavy industries. These countries, he added, have the same peculiarities with Nigeria , so it is incumbent on us to look in their direction if the country must get it right.
"Why are we relying on gas alone? Why are our gas turbines not working? Now we have these sources of energy, why are we not using it like China or India ?" he queried no one in particular as he made his point on the importance of seeking alternative energy.
Essentially, Ogundare said the difference between solar and wind energy is that why the former is driven by sun light, the later is based on the blowing wind, both of which Nigeria has in abundance.
He said his company has technical partners abroad with whom they intend to sell the technology to willing Nigerians both in the private and public sectors of the economy. He said the avalanche of responses they got from Nigerians after their first advertorial has impressed it on the team that the country was really in dire power crisis that requires urgent solution.
"This has motivated us into solving this problem. A lot of people are caught in the web of this power problem. A lot of people called us from the north when they discovered that the wind blowing freely could generate electricity. The wind can work perfectly in the desert area. If the entire north can depend on wind and other sources of energy are diverted to the south of the country, there won't be so many problems. Some areas will be powered by turbines while others will focus on other sources of energy," Ogundare said.
He said the alternative energy being envisaged by his company has got the wherewithal to power heavy machinery. He said the least available on their wave line is about two mega watts and that voltage can power conveniently 2000 houses with all the facilities. He said these sources of energy have been experimented elsewhere and there are working very well. He said elsewhere in the country, solar energy has been experimented on street lights and it has worked well.
He advised the various tiers of government in the country to look into ways exploring these sources of energy if the country was to come out of the present harrowing experience of generating electricity. Similarly, he called on corporate bodies to invest in it since it would be cost effective on the long run.
"It is advantageous on the long run. You are not buying diesel , its maintenance is low and all the cost you endured to put it in place will be effectively utilized. You can't compare it with generator with all its maintenance cost and the risk of the machine going bad. The wind or solar energy can absolve energy for seven days if there is no sunlight at all at zero maintenance", Ogundare stated.
He said if enough investors showed interest in this alternative source of energy, distribution and costing would not pose any problems. He said the banks for instance, could come together and put a wind turbine in place to be able to generate enough electricity for their use. He said they could also sell excess to make money for the consortium that muted the idea.
He said the idea of getting a steady power supply in the country was for the private firms to be involved in the generation of electricity. He said it was the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) that killed former Governor Bola Tinubu's pact with ENRON to generate electricity in the state. He said NEPA had asked Tinubu to connect the electricity generated by ENRON to the national grid and that way, the state could not have benefited from that venture.
According to Ogundare, soon, his company, working in partnership with the Kosofe Local Government council of Lagos State would electrify five streets in the council using solar energy. "This is meant to show that they could be constant light supported by solar energy. It works and we are ready to give performance bonds to willing investors", he added.
He said the cost implications of the alternative energy sources are cheaper than what is obtainable from gas turbines since we do not have to buy sunlight or wind. He said what was required was the initial investment to install the wind turbine. He said the prospects of steady supply of electricity were very bright if the government and corporate bodies could invest in renewable energy.
For these reasons, he said his outfit was organizing a broad-based conference on solar and wind energy tagged: The Finest Testimony to Renewable Energy in July to draw the attention of both the government and the private sector to this vital sector. He added that some experts have been invited from abroad to sensitise Nigerians on the issue at the conference next month.
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Many nigerians who have interest in this country have made good suggestions and proposals on ways out of our energy problem. Our major problem is bad leadership. The power crisis in Nigeria will end when bad leadership ends in Nigeria. I think, that will only be possible if President Barack Obaoma finish his tenore or tenores in America, then come to Nigeria, naturalise as a nigerian and become the president of this country to redeem us, our energy and every thing bad in nigeria.