Table 3.
Assessing the Potential of Low Carbon Energy Sources in Nigeria. Nigeria is endowed with significant prospects for tapping into low-carbon energy sources, as evidenced by various estimated potentials, including.
| S/N | Renewables Sources | Estimations of Potential Opportunities | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Large Hydropower | 11,250MW3 | Nigeria possesses abundant hydropower sources and energy reserves, yet their complete utilization remains unrealized, leading to challenges such as unreliable electricity supply and suboptimal energy security and efficiency within the country. |
| 2. | Wind | 2–4ms-1 at 10 m height | The untapped potential of breeze energy in Nigeria presents a significant obstacle to addressing the problem of unreliable electricity supply and impeding the country's economic progress. |
| 3. | Animal Wastes | 61 million tonnes/year | The underutilization of animal leftover as a viable energy source in Nigeria has hampered endeavours to tackle the issue of erratic electricity supply in the country and has hindered industrial advancement. |
| 4. | Miniature Hydropower | 500 MW | The immense potential of small-scale hydropower sources in Nigeria remains largely untapped, impeding efforts to address the persistent issue of unreliable electricity supply in the country [67]. |
| 5. | Produce Leftovers | 83 million tonnes/year | The unexplored potential of harnessing harvest remains as an energy source in Nigeria has constrained the initiatives aimed at addressing the challenge of unreliable electricity supply in the country [68]. |
| 6. | Solar Energy | 3.5–7.0 KW h/m2 – day | The untapped potential of solar radiation as an energy source in Nigeria has hindered comprehensive efforts to mitigate the problem of inconsistent electricity supply in the country. |
| 7. | Fuel wood | 13,071,464 ha | The underutilization of fuel wood as an energy source in Nigeria has impeded endeavours to address the challenge of unreliable electricity supply in the country [69]. |
Source: Draft National Energy Master Plan – 2006 Ewah Otu Eleri, Okechukwu Ugwu and Precious Onuvae, (2011), Low-Carbon Africa: Nigeria, ICEED Global Center for Energy, Environment & Development, https://www.iceednigeria.org/resources/low-carbon-africa-nigeria.pdf (May 29, 2023).