Engr. (Dr.) Ayodele Afolabi Esan, presently of Resharn Ltd, Abuja, brought his vast experience to bear on his seminar presentation titled, “Renewable Energy Inclusiveness for Energy Security in Nigeria,” which was delivered at the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law, University of Ibadan on the 14th of August, 2014. Dr. Esan holds a Ph.D degree in Electrical in Electrical Power System Engineering from the University of London, and has worked with several organizations. These include Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ilorin, University of Lagos and the Energy Commission of Nigeria. He was also a former Director of the UNIDO Regional Centre for Small Hydro Power (Africa) Nigeria.
The seminar paper discussed renewable energy technologies trend from the viewpoints of economics, world markets for renewable energy etc. It also critically assessed the utilization of natural resources that produce no air pollution or greehouse gases for sustainable and inclusive development.
In his presentation, Dr. Esan highlighted the discrepancies between the rich and the poor both nationally and globally, noting that the rural communities have been neglected in terms of infrastructural provision. He identified energy as a critical infrastructure necessary to ensure sustainable development. Presently, energy needs are mostly met from depletable resources, with the attendant threat to environmental sustainability. There is therefore a need to move away from dependence on depletable energy resources to renewable energy resources.
Dr. Esan noted that rural areas in Nigeria are characterized by poor access to modern services, which has led to an increase in the extent of poverty. There are however potentials for renewable energy generation in Nigeria, most notably the rural areas. Proven and commercial renewable energy technologies in Nigeria presently are Small Hydro-Power, Biomass, Solar P.V. and Wind.
He advocated for the scaling-up of renewable energy projects especially Small Hydro-Power in rural areas, as well as the bridging of the gap between the academics and industry. He concluded that public-private partnerships, investments in research and development, education, training and manpower development on renewable energy technologies are all requisites for energy security in Nigeria. Other requirements are a credible energy policy, an energy master plan, regulatory and institutional frameworks and an energy management programme.