09 April 2016, Abuja — The Federal Government has been urged to harness the abundant solar resource in the country for the economic and technological advancement of the nation.
Prof. Daniel Asiegbu, a Lecturer in the Department of Physics, Micheal Okara University of Agriculture, Abia gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Asiegbu said that the country with so much solar resource that could be converted to better the lots of citizens if only it could be effectively harnessed by the government.
This nation is blessed in so many things, but solar energy is one that is so abundant because in the 24 hours of the day, 12 of it is full of sunlight that other countries can only dream about.
So scientists should be encouraged to focus on the production of solar panels that can be used to absorb the sunlight in the daytime and be converted to other power in the night.
My institution like many other higher institutions has developed a solar-powered overhead tank pumping system, we discover that these days water supply is no longer given by the government but people supply their own water.
Often times, the power to pump water is not available so people resort to generating their own power by burning fuel. Sometimes this fuel is not available and prices are hiked like what we are experiencing today.
Apart from that, when we burn fuel we pollute the atmosphere, this solar powered pumping system is a way to curb and even reduce the pollution people generate day by day,” he said.
Asiegbu added that apart from the reduction of atmospheric pollution, the system was a reliable source of power that could pump water silently without disturbing the neighbourhood in addition to a constant power supply.
He said that if the government could encourage the production of these solar systems in commercial quantity, it would make the country economically buoyant.
The Government should encourage people who have laboured in time, money and research to develop research results to go a step further in mass production solar panels just like it is done in China.
If the government can harness solar products from universities, research centres and even the private sector it will really go a long way in advancing the economy of the country.
The problem of power will be resolved, both small and big businesses will strive thereby creating more jobs and wealth for the citizens, so government should invest heavily in the solar energy generation,” he said.
*NAN