Assessment of Solar Energy Potentials of North-Eastern Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria is one among developing countries facing the highest energy crises in the world. Within Nigeria, the North-East region is the region with the lowest average energy consumption and access to grid electricity despite having abundant Renewable Energy resources. This paper estimates the potentials of solar energy for electricity generation in the North-East region. The North-East region has enormous amount of solar energy which is yet to be tapped. The renewable energy industry in the sector of energy generation holds great promise, particularly in the North-Eastern Zone of Nigeria, where the states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe exhibit substantial potential. It was found that all the states in the North-East region have the potentials for generating electricity from solar PV technology. This study shows that the region was estimated to be able to generate about 356,668.64 MW of electricity from PV technology. Though the potential for generating electricity through solar PV technology is enormous in the North-East, the investment cost is one of the major hindrances. There is high cost of PV panels and backup batteries which serves as a hindrance to the generation of electricity from solar energy. Also, there is low level of public awareness on the availability and usefulness of solar energy in the region. The generation of electricity from PV technology is key to the socio-economic and sustainable development of the North-East region. It is advised that flexible policies which will make the environment suitable for local and foreign investors be made so that the enormous amount of untapped solar energy of the region can be utilized to benefit the region, and the country in general.