Inclusion Of Renewable Energy Research Articles

Energy Challenges and In Security in Nigeria: A Sectoral Perspective, In Okene O.V.C (ed). Reading in Law and Policy: Current Issues and Trends. Faculty of Law Rivers State University

Nigeria is energy rich yet its citizens are energy poor. Petroleum is the dominant energy source and the gas sector supplies 66% of fuel for powering the electricity generating plants in Nigeria. Petroleum is the main export commodity and a major foreign exchange earner for the country. Thus, if petroleum resource is properly harnessed, it may contribute seriously in promoting energy security, as well, galvanize the diversification to other energy resource base for Nigeria. An inclusion of renewable energy to the Nigeria’s energy mix would ensure more sustainable economic development and enhance poverty reduction. However, many factors are responsible for the failure to achieve a reliable, affordable and sustainable energy supplies in Nigerian despite the abundant natural resources in the country. Each energy sector, oil gas, coal, hydro and even the emerging renewable energy resources are bedeviled with different and inherent challenges. However, petroleum resource is the main energy provider for this country. Consequently, it is important that a deeper consideration of major segments of this industry, including, the legal and policy framework that affect the various sectors, would help to uncover the potentials of this sector to contribute to sustainable development of Nigeria. The objective of this paper is to uncover and analyze the causes of energy insecurity in Nigeria through the lenses of various sectors of the petroleum industry such as crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products; together with the role of subsidies in promoting a secure energy supply in Nigeria. The paper argues that an elucidation and dissection of the various sectoral problems is apposite for the attainment of energy security in Nigeria.

The development of renewable energy resources in the State of Veracruz, Mexico

We summarize the current and potential use of renewable energy for the generation of electricity in the State of Veracruz, Mexico. We review data from national and state agencies informs and identify some of the challenges involved in the development of renewable energy resource for electricity generation. We conclude that the inclusion of renewable energy in the electricity mix of the State will make an important contribution in the transition from the current energy model to a more sustainable energy model.

Global cost advantages of autonomous solar–battery–diesel systems compared to diesel-only systems

Isolated diesel systems are the main electricity generation method in many rural areas nowadays and represent a viable option to supply un-electrified villages in the Global South. However, this generation scheme leads to a dependency on fossil fuels and their price volatility on a global market with a projected increase of costs in the future. At the same time, high carbon dioxide emissions increase environmental costs. Up to date, many hybrid mini-grid pilot projects and case studies were performed globally to assess how the inclusion of renewable energy in these systems can enhance technical and economic performance. This provides insights in local characteristics and challenges of that approach on a case by case basis. This study, on the other hand, takes a look at the overall global potential for solar–battery–diesel mini-grids for rural electrification and derives a comparative analysis of the respective regions. The introduction of a GIS-based analysis in combination with a sophisticated mini-grid simulation allows a highly automated approach to draw global conclusions with the option to downscale to local regions. The results of the methodology show that in many regions substantial LCOE reductions are achievable by introducing solar–battery–diesel systems compared to pure diesel systems. Furthermore, the crucial role of spatial varying of diesel fuel prices over different regions and the impacts on the feasibility of solar–battery–diesel systems can be observed.

Perspective on multi-scale assets for clean energy technologies in buildings

Optimizing high-value energy efficiency and renewable energy in multi-scale systems that include buildings provides energy savings, energy reliability, indoor health and power quality, among other benefits. These benefits are not easily accounted for in traditional energy budget analysis, and their monetization is not included in typical cost-benefit calculations. Popular belief is that higher use of energy efficiency reduces return on investment (ROI) and that inclusion of renewable energy further reduces ROI. In fact, optimization of higher degrees of energy efficiency with on-site renewable has significantly greater positive economics. This is due to several factors including the aging electric grid—statistically having more and longer electric outages—and extremely poor electric power quality (electric surges, sags and transients) that wreaks havoc on digital equipment. Additionally, weather patterns are becoming more intense, stressing the wired electric system and fuel pipelines. As costs for energy efficiency and renewable energy are reduced and as these systems become more standardized and modular, it is more practical to begin utilizing these advances to increase operational resilience and make energy costs more predictable over longer periods.