An Overview of Energy Crisis and the Renewable Alternatives: The Nigerian Experience (Published)
Among the mirages of challenges confronting the global community today, that of energy is very prominent. Sometimes, it is the crisis, politics, shocks, uncertainties, tendency for depletion, inadequacy in supply, high cost and non-availability to larger percentages of the people and so compounding the poverty level. Nigeria is not exempted from all these worries like many other nations of the world. However, the mark difference in some of these other nations is diversification and development from the non-renewable fossil fuel or hydrocarbon to the renewable alternatives which are eco-friendly, abundant, replenishables, readily available and likely more cost effective and affordable if promoted. Nigeria is greatly endowed in renewable energy alternatives but with little or an insignificant attention. In this paper therefore, an attempt was made in explorative research method to have a position paper on Nigeria’s oil industry, the politics and the need to promote the renewable alternatives. Some research questions dealt with were; what Nigeria’s energy profile is like in the context of the world energy index and what is the relative estimate of Nigeria’s Renewable Energy Base in World’s Renewable Energy Index Profile? Among others, it was discovered that Nigeria is blessed with diverse alternative energy sources from the various secondary data examined (Hydro-power = 18% and others = 82%). It is “the others” that this paper seeks to throw more lights on to meet our energy demands.
Keywords: Alternatives, Crisis, Eco-System, Economy, Energy, Hydro-Carbon, Renewable