By Gideon Osaka
In a bid to address Nigeria’s energy challenges, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Associations-Alliance (REEEA-A) recently hosted its 2024 International Conference, focusing on the roadmap to net-zero action. The Conference brought together experts and policymakers to tackle the pressing issues of climate change and energy security, emphasising the need for actionable initiatives to achieve a cleaner, and more resilient energy system.
In his welcome address, the President of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Association (Alliance) REEEA-A, Professor Magnus Onuoha, stressed the achievements and vision of the Alliance over the past five years. He underscored that, in collaboration with seven associated organisations, the Alliance has actively worked towards improving energy access and security in Nigeria and beyond, stating that through its mission, the Alliance has enhanced the quality and standards of renewable energy technologies, research, and policy by fostering knowledge generation and dissemination for sustainable development.
Prof. Onuoha highlighted important milestones of the Alliance, including the standardisation and validation of energy efficiency measures and the harmonisation of renewable energy policies between 2020 and 2021. He further indicated that the Alliance has also provided regulatory support to public and private sector clients, focusing on network and information exchange, youth and gender empowerment, and research support services. Onuoha acknowledged the contributions of partners such as the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), a joint initiative between the European Union, the German government, the Federal Ministry of Power, and GIZ.
Speaking on the theme of the event; ‘Road to Net Zero Actionable Initiatives for Success’, Professor Magnus Onuoha stated that “Net Zero” centres around addressing climate change and air pollution while creating a more affordable and resilient energy system. He indicated that achieving net-zero emissions offers a path to a more productive economy and improved quality of life, focusing on human progress and sustainability.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (REEEA-A), Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, emphasised that Nigeria ratified the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 and 2017, particularly highlighting Goals 7 and 13. Prof. Sambo stressed that Goal 7 targets universal access to modern energy services by 2030, with a significant uptake of renewable energy and a 50 per cent increase in energy efficiency. He also stated that Nigeria is well endowed with renewable energy resources and opportunities for tapping into them for the benefit of Nigerians are great.
“For solar energy, using the commonly available 300 Wp solar panels with about 15 per cent efficiency over 1 per cent of the land area of Nigeria with an average six hours of sunshine and an average irradiation of 500 Watts per square metre can produce the following power output: 551,000 MW at 100 per cent capacity factor; 275,500 MW at 50 per cent Capacity Factor and 37,750MW at 25 per cent capacity factor,” he stated.
Prof Sambo however warned that if climate change is not tackled, it could lead to ominous penalties, including food insecurity and global warming. Sambo recapped that the African Union’s Agenda 2063, a 50-year development plan, recognises climate change as a pressing issue for the continent. He therefore urged the Federal Ministry of Power to strive harder to achieve Nigeria’s target of 30% renewable energy by 2030, emphasising that more needs to be done to reach the renewable energy goal of 10,000 megawatts adding that the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Nigerian government developed a renewable energy roadmap which indicated that Nigeria can generate up to 178,000 megawatts of renewable electricity. This, he emphasised, is achievable with strong political will and commitment.
Pro. Sambo further explained that the 2024 Alliance Conference plays a fundamental role in preparing Nigeria for the upcoming COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024, where discussions will contribute to Nigeria’s position on energy and climate matters.
Recall that in 2023, the IRENA Report revealed that “Nearly 60 per cent of Nigeria’s energy demand in 2050 can be met with renewable energy sources, saving 40 per cent in natural gas and 65 per cent in oil needs at the same time”.
”By using its abundant, untapped renewables”, IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera said, “Nigeria can provide sustainable energy for all its citizens in a cost-effective manner. Nigeria has a unique opportunity to develop a sustainable energy system based on renewables that support socioeconomic recovery and development, while addressing climate challenges and accomplishing energy security.”
The report further shows that “The share of primary energy requirements met with renewable energy can reach 47 per cent by 2030 and 57 per cent by 2050. Electrification will play a significant role in achieving higher renewable energy shares with electricity in final energy use nearly doubling by 2050.
“Investment in renewables will be more cost-effective than the conventional pathway. IRENA’s Energy Transition Scenario has lower investment costs than planned policies, 1.22 trillion USD compared to 1.24 trillion USD respectively. This corresponds to 35 billion USD versus 36 billion USD per year respectively.
“Advancing the energy transition requires a shift and scaling-up of investments in the short-term to avoid locked in fossil fuel infrastructure investments with long lifetimes such as natural gas pipelines. In 2050, significantly less use of natural gas and oil compared to planned policies has profound implications for infrastructure investment in fossil fuels, increasing the risk of stranded assets.
“Policies for the accelerated deployment of renewables are needed to unlock the report’s benefits. Policy coordination is essential to unlocking successful integrated energy transition planning in Nigeria”, the report stated.
In his keynote presentation, former Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, the Chief Executive of Geometric Power Ltd., argued that although the key pathway to energy sufficiency for Nigeria at the moment is gas, renewables should also be a major part of the energy mix. He further argued that if Nigeria is serious about increasing the percentage of clean energy sources by 2060, it should ramp up the building of solar and hydropower plants nationwide.
Prof Nnaji maintained that there is a need for a well-articulated programme to meet set targets, but debated that for now, gas remains a viable transition fuel for Nigeria.
“However, for new energy, Nigeria should really concentrate on building hydro plants and solar plants,” he said, adding that studies have shown that although these alternatives can work, they also need to be economically viable.
“And so, this is very, very close to what I would say that for now, hydro, solar are the key ones,” he stressed, explaining that if Nigeria must take advantage of the electric vehicle rush, the recharging infrastructure must be built and should be accessible at the recharging stations.
During his remarks, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, stressed that Nigeria’s energy transition continues to be driven by the need to reduce energy-related carbon dioxide emissions towards mitigating the effect of climate change. The Minister, who was represented by the Director of Renewable and Rural Power, Sunday Owolabi, said that under the Climate Change Commitment, Nigeria seeks to reduce its Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) unconditionally by 20 per cent and conditionally by 47 per cent following the Paris Agreement through its National Determined Contributions (NDC).
“Centralised power capacity is to increase to 200GW by the year 2060 comprising 90 per cent renewable energy; decentralised power capacity to comprise of about 3GW of solar PV and approximately 12GW of Mini-grids/ Solar Home Systems,” he stated.
He enumerated some of the efforts by the federal government including the 30MW Gurara Hydropower, 40MW Dadinkowa Hydropower, 40MW Kashimbilla Hydropower, 700MW Zungeru Hydropower, and 3050MW Mambilla Hydropower projects, which he said had lingered for years before this administration.
“For Nigeria to be at sub-Saharan Africa’s consumption, the power supply should be at about 12,000 MW and for it to be at the world average annual electricity consumption per capita figure the nation’s power supply should be about 73,000 MW,” Adelabu stressed.
Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Renewable Energy, Hon. Afam Ogene, emphasised that one of the essential objectives of the Electricity Act 2023 was to provide a holistic integrated plan that recognises all sources for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, including the integration of renewable energy into our country’s energy mix.
“There is indeed a global quest for safer, sustainable, and renewable energy on account of global impact of carbon emissions from fossil fuels on our environment. The great effects of global warming and climate change are not only reserved as topics for big climate conferences around the world but could alarmingly be felt all around us in our different environments in different forms,” he maintained.
For Chief Executive of the Association of Power Generation Companies of Nigeria (APGC), Dr Joy Ogaji, though the Electricity Act is full of potential, implementation is where the real problem lies.
“It’s time to start asking questions, order than just swallowing everything that comes hook, line and sinker, and then drink water,” she said.
Overall, the 2024 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Associations’ International Conference was indeed a game changer for participants and the energy sector. Panel sessions such as NERC, the Electricity Act, and Nigeria’s Renewable Energy Future as well as the Investor matchmaking with Access Bank and Member Associations provided participants the opportunity to network.
Other side attractions include Access Bank’s ‘Switch to solar’ lease product which aims to leverage the rapidly improving economics of solar and storage technologies to enable households, commercial and industrial clients to adopt a cleaner and more reliable source of electricity through solar photovoltaic (PV) and batteries by offering affordable financing opportunity. Switch to Solar by Access campaign will enable businesses to access up to N50 million and individuals N10 million for the financing of Solar Photovoltaic (PV), Batteries & inverters along with installation, with a competitive interest rate, flexible repayment period of up to 48 months and as low as 10 per cent equity contribution on invoice value.
As the 2024 REEEA-A Conference came to a close, it was clear that Nigeria’s energy sector is poised for transformation, with stakeholders committed to harnessing renewable energy sources to drive sustainable development and mitigate climate change. The Conference served as a clarion call for Nigeria to accelerate its energy transition, leveraging renewable energy and energy efficiency to unlock economic growth, improve quality of life, and safeguard the environment. With the conference’s key takeaways and actionable recommendations, Nigeria is now better equipped to navigate the path to net-zero emissions, ensuring a sustainable energy future for generations to come.
