Abstract
The socio-economic development of a country (especially a developing one) is inextricably linked with the availability and affordability of electricity in that country. However most African countries have failed to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of electricity in their country owing either to the non-availability of power or the lack of synergy between the various disciplines that make up the power sector. Bedevilled with the current Covid-19 pandemic which ushers in the digital era of E-learning and virtual trade activities, Africa cannot afford to lag behind as a result of poor electricity supply. Our case study in this paper will be Africa’s most populous country; Nigeria. We would look at the aged long practice of a centralized system of energy production which generates and transmits electricity over long distances (thereby incurring colossal losses), the limitations of the National grid which covers only some parts of the country, the legal constraints, the resort to self-help by Nigerians who seek to produce their own electricity using generators that emit GHG which pollute the atmosphere and the economic implication of running generators, while proffering an eco-friendly solution in distributed or dispersed generation using Shared Solar Energy aimed at resolving the disparity between the demand and supply of Electricity. A solution which will invariably unlock economic growth especially during this Covid-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The most compound and extensive machine ever built by man is the electric grid
With the African largest economy; Nigeria having an electrification rate of 54%[1] and which loses about 28 billion Dollars (10.1 trillion Naira) due to unreliable power [2] it is of paramount importance to reinforce and strengthen the existing centralized power architecture with shared solar energy using embedded generation so as to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and feeder losses
It is imperative to note that during the 33-year lifespan of Nigerian Electric Power Authority (NEPA), the regulation, policy formulation, operation and investment in the Nigerian power sector was the exclusive responsibility of the federal government of Nigeria (FGN)
Summary
The most compound and extensive machine ever built by man is the electric grid. the central paradigm of electricity production is one with certain limitations. Limitations with regards conflicting policy objectives, resilience, reliability, security, expansion, economic and environmental exigences These limitations are further inherent in the lives of about 1.2 billion people living without access to electricity, 600 million of which are from the African continent. It is imperative to note that during the 33-year lifespan of NEPA, the regulation, policy formulation, operation and investment in the Nigerian power sector was the exclusive responsibility of the federal government of Nigeria (FGN). The EPSR act made it possible to have private investors partner with the government in the production and distribution of energy. This led to the creation of six generation companies (GENCOs) and eleven distribution companies (DISCOs) with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) solely owned by the FGN. What is more is that the National grid post privatization has collapsed 108 times[4] The consequence being poor and erratic power supply
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