The solar energy option

The bid by the Federal Government to explore the solar energy option in addressing the nation’s intractable power supply problem is a welcome development. The Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr. Alhassan Zaku, who disclosed the plan during a facility tour of the Engineering Materials Development Institute (EMDI), Akure, Ondo State, which is collaborating with the federal government on the initiative, said the proposal has already received the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The solar option for electricity generation, which involves the tapping of the sun’s energy with solar panels for the country’s power needs, is expected to be less expensive and cumbersome than the difficulties involved in running an unwieldy institution like the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

It is believed to hold out a promise of success because the government is likely to only facilitate availability and affordability of the solar power generating materials for Nigerians. The government will not play any role in administering the solar operations and will therefore not be burdened with the implementation and administration of the solar energy technology.

The government is said to be considering the Far East, particularly China, for technological support. Already, the EMDI is carrying out various researches on the production of solar panels that would be wholly made in Nigeria. The Director of the Institute, Dr. Babaniyi Babatope, is optimistic that the country will soon record a breakthrough in the effort to harness the sun’s energy for electricity generation, using local technology.

We support the government’s plan to facilitate electricity generation through solar energy in Nigeria. Given the nation’s inability to surmount the challenge of adequate electricity generation and distribution via thermal projects over the years, any effort to provide an electricity generation option to boost the present epileptic electricity supply is commendable, and worth exploring.

Nigeria is a tropical country with abundance of sunlight. It is right that we join the league of countries that are harnessing the free resource for their power needs. Although solar energy exploitation is not entirely new in the country as some institutions and individuals have been reported to be making use of it already, the involvement of government in making the technology widely available and affordable to our people is a step in the right direction.

We are of the view that using a multi-pronged approach to the electricity generation and distribution problem will increase our electricity output. Besides, solar energy has many useful benefits. It is relatively cheap, reliable and environmentally friendly. Sunlight is inexhaustible and the technology is safe.

The only challenge before the government is to guard against the debilitating Nigerian factor, for example, quota system, nepotism and corruption, which can bog down the implementation of the project. The government agencies that are charged with bringing the initiative to life should be given the necessary support to deliver on their mandate, and closely monitored to ensure that they do not derail from their objectives.

It is good that the nation is looking at the direction of local manufacturing of the panels that are used to harness solar energy. Efforts should be made to ensure that any foreign technical partners that might be needed to complement and quicken their efforts are credible ones that can add value to the project.

The efforts of EMDI and other relevant government agencies and institutions that are involved in the project should be supported in every way possible so that this viable energy alternative can become a reliable component of our energy policy and significantly boost the volume of electricity available to the people and industries.