01 March 2016, Lagos – As the country battles for power stability, the International Energy Service Limited, IESL, has tasked the federal government to speed up plans for the development of renewable energy.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer IESL, Dr. Diran Fawibe, disclosed that, “Nigeria is gradually developing materials that can be used in solar production, over time TV cells, batteries, conductors, and when produced locally, helps to make the cost of solar low.
“But the challenge we have here, is that we are not yet manufacturers of materials used for generating solar, those things are imported, thereby making the cost prohibitive such that an average Nigerian may have it difficult to install.
“Large scale solar or wind, economic of sales .importation of these goods tends to be high; we only hope that in the long term it would be generally accepted by many people and giving popularity among Nigerians.”
Regarding the government inviting foreign experts into the country to enhance the production of solar materials, Fawibe noted that, “it will require buying of companies and giving incentives to be able to achieve it.
“Industrialisation process in the country has been very slow, simply because government politics at times do not encourage this kind of manufacturing goods. There are so many things you have to fend for on your own, and when you do your calculation, not to talk of making profit, this tends to scare away people and it has to take conscious effort from the government to encourage people.
“Renewable is supposed to add to the energy mix of a country because, many countries in the word are looking up to renewable to supplement what they are getting through other energy sources.
“Electricity can be generated using, fuel, water or gas, now, each of these energy sources has its own risk, it has its own merit and demerit, but in terms of the economics of renewables compared to the otherslike gas plants or water, these other ones are cheaper than renewable.”
He added that “there is no other means of generating electricity in the world that is cheaper than gas, if you are able to manage the gas plant properly and you are able to get adequate gas.
- Vanguard