GREEN ENERGY, WOMEN AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Christianah O. Ijagbemi

Department of Mechanaical Engineering

Federal University of Technology

Akure, Nigeria

Nigeria

Location: longitude 3o and 14o East of Greenwich and latitude 4o and 14o north of equator

Population of 140 million, and a total land area of 923,768 km2 .

Energy, - oil and gas contribute over 70% of Federal revenue.

Only about 40% of households in Nigeria are connected to the national grid.

Region/country Biomass Petroleum

Products

Electricity Gas Coal

North Africa 4.1 61.5 15.1 18.0 1.3

Sub-Sahara Africa 81.2 14.5 2.9 1.0 0.5

South Africa 16.5 29.3 25.9 1.6 26.8

Africa’s Energy Consumption Profile in 2004 (%)

• The contribution of energy to GDP is expected to

be higher when we take into account renewable

energy utilization, which constitutes about 90%

of the energy used by the rural population.

Source: Karekezi et al, 2008

s

Rural Areas of Nigeria

•Over 60% of Nigerians living in the rural areas.

•Petroleum products such as kerosene and gasoline

are purchased in the rural areas at prices 150% in

excess of their official pump prices.

•The daily needs of the rural populace for heat

energy are, therefore, met almost entirely from

fuelwood.

Energy Sources for Cooking and Heating in Nigeria

Fuelwood

%

Charcoal

%

Kerosine

%

LPG

%

Electricity

%

Inexpensive 92 71 54 23 4

Easy to purchase 37 53 16 25 38

Easy to use 18 26 70 72 77

Traditionally used by

household

64 19 82 21 9

Low initial investment cost 18 15 29 10 7

Gives high heat/cooks fast 16 12 5 62 47

Safe to use n/a 20 2 9 30

Food taste better n/a 10 12 39 44

No negative health effects n/a 6 n/a 15 38

Clean to cook with n/a 2 6 67 78

Fuelwood Consumption: The Nigerian Situation

• The rural areas, which are generally inaccessible due to

absence of good road networks, have little access to

conventional energy such as electricity and petroleum

products.

• It is critical that gender aspects be considered when it comes

to Energy Crisis: especially for domestic use.

81% of African households burn solid fuels, with

about 70% depending on woodbased biomass as

their primary cooking fuel>

Resource Quantity

(Millions

tonnes)

Energy Value

(‘000 MJ)

Fuelwood 39.1 531.0

Agro-waste 11.2 147.7

Saw dust 1.8 31.4

Municipal Solid

waste

4.1 -

Fuelwood Consumption

Biomass Resources and Estimated Quantites in Nigeria

In Nigeria, energy security is affected by several key developments:

population growth, accelerated urbanization, economic development and

relative price changes of other energy options

Energy Security in Nigeria

•National demand was estimated to be 39 million tonnes of

fuelwood.

• About 95% of the total fuelwood consumption was used in

households for cooking and for cottage industrial activities.

•There is a well-established link between energy for cooking

and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with

measures for increasing sustainable biomass production and

improving cooking technology both cited as being MDG

consistent targets.

Fuelwood Consumption

Green Energy

Small Hydropower (SHP) Development in Nigeria

• Rural electrification is given high priority in government’s efforts toincrease the standard of living in rural areas, reduce rural-urbanmigration trends, and realize other development objectives.

The challenges:

• a. how to provide sustainable energy (electricity) services to thepoorest of the poor, who have no purchasing power to pay for theservices?

• b. how to offer the most cost-effective, clean and reliable electricityto those who are currently spending a significant share of theirincome on energy ?;

• c. how to set up the commercial infrastructure to provide theseservices?

Green Energy: Solar

• Mean annual average of total solar radiation:

3.5 kWhm–2day-1 in the coastal latitudes

7 kWhm–2day-1 along the semi arid areas in the far

North.

On the average: solar radiation at the level of about

19.8 MJm –2 day-1. Average sunshine hours are estimated

at 6hrs per day.

• if solar collectors or modules were used to cover 1% of Nigeria’sland area of 923,773km2, it is possible to generate 1850 x 103

GWh of solar electricity per year.

• This is over one hundred times the current grid electricityconsumption level in the country.

Green Energy Sources for Rural Power Generation

GETs

Energy source Energy for domestic use Electricity

Elemental renewables

Solar Solar pump, solar cooker Solar PV

Water (including wave/tidal) Micro- and pico-hydroelectric

generating plant

Wind Wind-powered pump Wind turbine generator

Geothermal Geothermal generating plant

Biological renewables

Energy crops Biomass generating plant

Standard crops (and byproducts) Biomass generating plant

Forestry and forestry byproducts Improved cookstoves Biomass generating plant

Animal by-products Biogas digester, Improved cookstoves Biogas digester

Source: World Bank. 2005

Green Energy: Wind

•Average speeds of 2.0 m/s at the coastal region and 4.0 m/s at the far

northern region of the country.

•Wind energy intensity, perpendicular to the wind direction, ranges

between 4.4 W/ m2 at the coastal areas and 35.2 W/ m2 at the far

northern region.

•Potential application of wind energy - “green electricity” for the rural

community and for integration into the national grid system.

•An average annual wind speed of not less than 5 m/s at a height of 10m

above ground level is the feasible speed for the exploitation of wind

energy at today’s cost.

Women and Green Energy

Women access to energy for domestic use using green energy would

have significant impacts on livelihoods in Nigeria:

• Cleaner use of traditional fuels will significantly improve health by reducing

acute respiratory infection and conjunctivitis.

• Cooking with more efficient technologies will make dietary choice and boiling of

water more affordable or more likely.

• Women and children will have more time for education, leisure and economic

activity.

• Access to radio and television will improve educational opportunities and

provide entertainment.

• Electric lighting will provides higher quality illumination than kerosene lanterns,

improving opportunities for extended work and study time as well as better

security, comfort and safety.

Way Forward

• Green energy is considered a viable solution to rural women energy

challenges in Nigeria, especially to the restrictions posed by the rising

cost of conventional energy.

• The biomass energy sector has the potential of significantly

increasing the revenue base of Nigeria, unlocking resources urgently

needed for investments in natural resources and other key areas for

sustainable economic development and green growth.

• Partnerships: Joining forces with other development partners, the

private sector, NGOs, CSOs, and other stakeholders will create

necessary synergies needed to improved on Green Energy application

for domestic use.

Conclusion

The role of Green energy technologies in meeting the energy

challenges is discussed.

Consideration has been given to the factors affecting women

and socio-economic developments in the Green energy

sector.

Efforts to ensure capacity building for green energy,

stimulation of the private sector, developing the markets for

green energy and the assistance of multilateral institutions in

advancing green energy technologies in Nigeria were equally

discussed.