‘Renewable Energy Value Left Unexploited More Than Enough to Meet Nigeria’s Demands’, Don Speaks
- A top chemical engineer, Professor Funmilayo Osuolale, has said 2,500,000 GW of renewable energy can be available in a year if judiciously harnessed from potential renewable energy sources in Nigeria
- Prof. Osuolale urged improvement in energy utilisation systems and equipment "to reduce the waste of energy"
- Legit.ng reports that Prof. Osuolale delivered LAUTECH's 61st inaugural lecture, which covered two basic areas - energy efficiency and renewable energy
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering climate and energy.
Ogbomosho, Oyo state - Professor Funmilayo Nihinlola Osuolale of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Oyo state, has said renewable energy is presently unexploited in Nigeria.
Speaking on Thursday, December 5, at the institution's 61st inaugural lecture attended by Legit.ng, Prof. Osuolale said if expertly explored, the value of renewable energy is “more than enough to meet Nigeria’s demands”. Professor Razaq Kalilu, the vice-chancellor (VC) of LAUTECH, chaired the event.
Source: Original
Legit.ng reports that Nigeria faces many challenges in its energy sector. Among others, the energy crisis is caused by various factors such as funding problems, energy loss, inadequate budgetary provision, corruption, leadership crisis, poor maintenance and neglect of projects, lack of technical skills, infrastructural decay, and gas shortages. Amid the stumbling blocks, Prof. Osuolale offered hope during the event in Oyo state.
Speaking on 'Universal Enegery Access for Sustainable Development: Mirage of Reality', she said:
“Renewable energy is energy from natural resources that can be replenished at higher rate than they are consumed. An estimate of about two million, five hundred thousand gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy can be available in a year if judiciously harnessed from potential renewable energy sources in the country.
“The projected amount of energy demand of our nation by 2030 is 45 gigawatts. The value of renewable energy left unexploited is more than enough to meet the energy demands of the country. Universal energy access in Nigeria should not be a mirage but an attainable reality.”
Furthermore, the don explained that from time immemorial, renewable energy from biomass was the main source of energy generation. Noting that the country has an “abundance of biomass”, she pointed out that “the paradox” is the traditional use of biomass which is less efficient and oftentimes, injurious to human health.
Prof. Osuolale added:
“If Nigeria is to achieve its target of increasing energy generation capacity in the country, converting biomass to energy is one of the answers.”
Osuoale on energy efficiency for sustainable livelihoods
In addition, speaking exclusively to Legit.ng on the sidelines of the event, Professor Osuolale asserted that the depletion of finite energy sources and the attendant ecological and environmental implications of indiscriminate use of energy make efficient energy usage by energy-consuming processes an imperative of high priority for all stakeholders in the industry.
According to her:
"This demands improvement in energy utilisation systems and equipment to reduce the waste of energy. Energy recovery system in turn calls for the design of efficient systems and/or retrofit of existing structures for better energy utilisation. Methods of determining and improving the efficiency of chemical processes are through pinch technology and the application of thermodynamic analysis (exergy analysis or second law analysis)."
She concluded that the energy efficiency of chemical processes will lengthen existing energy reserves and make the insufficient available energy be utilised for more.
Born in December 1974, Osuolale earned her Bachelor of Technology and Master of Technology degrees in chemical engineering from LAUTECH, in 1998 and 2006 respectively. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun state. In 2015, she earned her second PhD in Chemical Engineering, with specialisation in process modelling and optimisation from Newcastle University, United Kingdom (UK).
Having joined LAUTECH as a teaching assistant in 2004, she rose through the ranks to professor in 2022.
She is an expert in applied thermodynamics, process modelling, and optimisation of energy systems. She has more than 60 published articles in onshore and offshore peer-review journals.
Renewable energy: Nigeria pledges commitment
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) set its sights on producing 0.5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030, with plans to increase this to 10 million tonnes by 2050.
This goal was announced by Bruno Korgo, regional coordinator for Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen at the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), at a capacity-building workshop for private sector actors on green hydrogen.
Source: Legit.ng
