Brief Overview Of Nigeria's Energy Challenges

While most of the developed countries have started exploiting biomass to help meet the demand for energy supply. There are still countries that have yet to fully utilize this renewable energy, Nigeria included.

Biomass utilization in Nigeria, Is it Achievable?

With over 200 million in population, Nigeria stands as the most Populous Country in Africa, and 6 in global population ranking¹.

Understandably, providing power for a country with such a population is no easy fit. In 2020 alone, 35.7 thousand gigawatt hours were generated, less than a percentage of the over 25 terawatt per hour that was demanded that year.²

With energy being an essential tool for most citizens to be able to easily carry out their daily activities, this poor energy generation has driven individuals and business owners to take matters into their own hands by providing personal electricity for themselves mostly through the use of gasoline Generators and diesel Plants.

These actions have not only caused an increase in capital spent by business owners. But has also led to inflation of goods and services around the country, due to the recent rise of fuel prices.

But further from just inflation of goods and services, the constant operation of these fuel generators has also greatly contributed to carbon gas emissions in the country which has caused many health issues that we'll discuss later in this article.

Strategic Ways To Implement Biogas Into The Nigeria Energy System

1. Biogas Production: Encouraging the use of anaerobic digesters to convert organic waste such as agricultural residues, livestock manure, and food waste into biogas for electricity generation and cooking fuel.

2. Biomass Power Plants: Establishing biomass power plants that utilize agricultural residues, such as rice husks, sugarcane bagasse, and palm kernel shells, to generate electricity for both grid-connected and off-grid communities.

3. Cooking Fuel Substitution: Promoting the use of biomass-based cooking fuels, such as briquettes made from agricultural waste or improved cookstoves fueled by biomass pellets, to replace traditional biomass fuels like firewood and charcoal.

4. Biofuels Production: Investing in the production of biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, from crops like sugarcane, cassava, and oil palm, to substitute for fossil fuels in transportation and industrial sectors.

5. Rural Electrification: Deploying decentralized biomass energy systems in rural areas without access to the national grid, providing reliable electricity for lighting, powering appliances, and supporting economic activities.

6. Forestry Management: Implementing sustainable forestry management practices to ensure the availability of biomass feedstocks for energy production while preserving ecosystem health and biodiversity.

7. Policy Support: Enacting supportive policies, such as feed-in tariffs, tax incentives, and subsidies, to incentivize investment in biomass energy projects and foster the growth of the biomass energy sector.

Importance of biomass as a sustainable energy source

So how can biomass play a role in ensuring to help improve and increase energy supply in Nigeria and also serve as a sustainable energy means that will reduce the nation's carbon footprint?

Biomass energy is matter generated from living organisms which is used for energy generation. This type of energy is known as bioenergy.

Bioenergy is obtained from three main sources which include:

• Wood; this includes logs, Sawdust, Barks, chips, and other forms of wood residues.

• Agricultural Wastes such as fruit pits, Animal dungs, Corn Cobs, Weeds, Straws, et cetera.

• Solid Waste such as human feces, leftover meals, and garbage.

All the sources listed are renewable. This is a major reason why biomass energy is seen as a sustainable energy source.

This article discusses strategic ways biomass energy can be induced properly into the Nigerian energy sector.

We'll also look at challenges and obstacles that have hindered the government from investing in biomass energy and how these obstacles can be tackled to ensure that Citizens of the country are provided with both sufficient and efficient energy.

Furthermore, we'll also discuss benefits other than sufficient energy that would be enjoyed by Citizens owing to the implementation of Biomass Energy.

Benefits of Biomass Energy

The use of Biomass energy provides many added advantages to the country that doesn't include power generation.

Some benefits of biomass gas include;

Biomass energy is a renewable energy form, and this makes it sustainable energy. But apart from that it also helps in the following ways;

Yearly, 32 million metric tonnes of waste is generated by Nigerians in Nigeria, with an expected growth of 2.4% annually.³

Further studies reveal that more than 70% of this waste can be converted to be used as a source of biomass energy. This means that if and when the government decides to take necessary steps to implement the use of biomass, there would be a massive reduction of waste, and this will help create more land space to be used for other important activities.

Reduction Of Greenhouse Gas Emission.

One of the major causes of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions. Methane gas, one of the greenhouse gases released by solid wastes, has been described as one of the major causes of global warming. This gas is said to have more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide.⁴ And with Nigeria generating over 20 million metric tonnes of solid waste, actions caused by released methane gas from landfills where solid waste is stored is evident in the extreme weather conditions faced in the country.

Hence, to fulfill what was signed into the climate change act by former President Buhari, proper utilization of This solid wastes and forms of biomass energy sources, Nigeria will become a step closer to achieving their aim of zero GHG emission by the year 2060 as promised by the president.⁵

Economic Benefits

Biomass energy has some added advantages in boosting a country's economic value.

Implementation of biomass energy will not only help to reduce energy dependency but also prove to be a means of;

Job Creation

During the 2020/2021 period, about 314,000 jobs were provided directly and indirectly in the biomass energy sector in In European Union alone. And a total of about 700,000 globally.⁶

With Nigeria facing a high increase in the unemployment rate, introducing the biomass sector would be able to provide jobs for the ever-growing population.

Energy Security

As said in the beginning, Energy supply in Nigeria is very low compared to what is being demanded by Individuals and business owners, thereby driving these stakeholders to resort to other alternative means to provide themselves with Power.

With the amount of waste generated in the country, Nigeria could potentially end its struggle to meet with Energy demand by all stakeholders in the country if this waste can properly be converted into biomass energy.

Social Impacts

The world today has grown to a state where energy has become a necessity that helps people go about their day-to-day activities with ease.

And with Nigeria currently under-supplying in its energy demand, proper exploitation of the biomass energy sector, could prove vital in not just providing jobs, but also aiding in the improvement of overall society living conditions. The amount of energy that could be provided through the use of biomass energy will likely have an impact on the;

Rural Development

Due to poor living conditions in Rural areas as a result of low productivity in activities being done in these regions, most youths are prompted to move to the Cities. These actions have led to brain drains in these regions, while also causing a state of overpopulation in the urban areas, which in turn is currently making the cities too crowded and hence reducing the amount of comfort one can find in the city.

With this in mind, if the government is about to successfully utilize biomass energy, it will be able to provide enough energy to help boost productivity in this region. When there are enough industries in these rural areas, development will follow. How so?

The youths of these communities will have fewer reasons to want to migrate to the cities if they are given the right tools to help them achieve their dreams. This will reduce brain drain and help further develop this region.

Access to Energy

As said earlier, in this technological age, energy is no longer seen as an option but rather a necessity one must have to be able to carry out one's daily activities with ease.

With the implementation of biomass energy, the government can be able to provide just enough energy that will be able to go around the entire country and make life easier for its citizens.

Role in reducing deforestation and land degradation

Lagos state, Nigeria's most populous State with over 20 million people occupying the state, has about 4 active landfills occupying a landmass of about 140 hectares. This is minus more than a dozen illegal landfills around the state.

With about 13 million metric tons of waste being disposed of in these landfills, these areas have started to degrade, causing erosion and damaging the soil nutrients.

Biomass energy utilization can provide a solution to this problem. Utilization of this form of energy will see a reduction in the amount of waste being disposed of in these areas, and will further help the government to utilize this land for more sustainable use.

In rural communities, to provide a source of heat for themselves, The local population makes use of wood logs to burn fire. Providing sustainable energy for these communities will be able to help the nation conserve its forest resources and help boost the country's fight to end climate change.

Challenges and Barriers

If the Utilization of Biomass energy can provide so many useful benefits, why hasn't it been implemented yet?

Utilization of Biomass energy comes with a lot of challenges, that most includes the following;

Technical Limitations In Biomass Energy Generation

Biomass energy generation has several technical challenges that include:

Feedstock Availability:

Some of the resources needed for biomass energy are mostly seasonal and regional. It is also slowed down, as some agricultural resources needed may not be available due to external factors hindering their growth.

Carbon Emission:

While the utilization of biomass energy could help reduce the amount of Greenhouse Gas emissions, it in itself is not free from emission.

Combustion of biomass gas can lead to the emission of carbon dioxide and other particulate matters that can cause air pollution and even more, contribute to climate change.

Storage And Handling:

To get all the needed resources from waste, these wastes need to be stored in special storage to prevent gas from escaping, and this can come as a hindrance.

It also relies on skilled operators to be able to properly control how this waste is stored; if it's the right temperature, right moisture, and viable space.

Transportation:

Some resources needed to process biomass energy may not be present in the region where the operation is being carried out. To get these resources to the designated location for operation, they would need to be transported over long distances. This would require a lot of capital to help transport these resources and also a lot of energy, reducing the net energy gain gotten from these resources.

Policy and regulatory hurdles

Laws and policies put in place can serve as a hindrance to the use of biomass energy by private citizens.

Electricity Act 2023

While this act talks about the implementation of renewable energy as a power source, it fails to mention biomass energy. This small technical error might prove difficult for businesses and individuals seeking to get a license to operate a procession of biomass energy.

Environmental Impact Assessment Act 1992

The 1992 act of EIA states that for any business to carry out a project that could likely have an impact on the environment, a certificate must be acquired.

Acquiring the certificate can be both time-consuming and costly.

In addition to these laws, other general laws can hinder the full implementation of biomass energy.

Infrastructure And Investment Challenges

Processing a large-scale biomass energy operation may require a lot of capital. This can be a challenge when businesses looking to start a full-scale operation do not have access to the needed amount of capital to start their operation due to certain factors that include:

Long Payback Period:

As an entrepreneur, one has to note that going it the business of supplying energy with biomass will take quite a while before It yields any profit. Thus, potential investors seeking to make early profits may feel reluctant to invest. This can lead to a major setback for entrepreneurs in the Biomass sector.

Upfront Capital Cost:

Establishing biomass power plants, Facilities or Refineries requires a lot of substantial expenditures to set up. This is another major setback as investors may not be willing to let go of so much capital for a startup business.

Competition With Subsidized Energy:

With other forms of subsidized energy such as solar already thriving in the energy sector, incorporating biomass energy might take more time to gain assertion in the energy market.

Technological Advancements

In a bid to improve the efficiency and sustainability of biomass energy generation, new technologies are being developed.

Older technologies such as the anaerobic digesters have been modified to use a wider range of biomass resources. It has also been improved to operate at higher temperatures and pressure to improve the digestion process of waste. Others such as the gasifier, Pyrolysis systems, and combustion systems have all been modified to ensure that the generation of biomass energy is more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective.

Emerging technologies in biomass energy conversion

Some newly developed technologies for biomass energy generation include integrated Refineries, Smart grid technologies, et cetera.

Their potential for improving efficiency and sustainability

The development of these technologies is aimed at achieving efficiency and sustainability.

Here's how that's done.

Reduced Emission:

New advancements in technologies can produce energy from biomass sources with lower emissions of pollutants. These steps can help reduce the environmental impact of biomass gas while also helping to improve air quality.

Lesser Resources Used for Efficient Energy Production:

New technological advancements have been developed to use biomass resources efficiently. This innovation means that a lesser amount of biomass resources is needed to generate the required amount of energy needed. This will help conserve biomass resources.

Reduced Operating Cost:

Because of their capability to be about to convert biomass energy more efficiently, these new technological advancements will help to reduce the cost of generation of energy from biomass resources.

More Reliable:

With new modifications made, new technologies are more reliable than the previous traditional methods used, this is due to experiencing less downtime and also more consistency in energy generation.

Strategic Ways Biomass Gas Can Be

Government Initiatives and Incentives

The following initiatives have been put in place by the Nigerian government as a step to promote biomass energy generation.

Feed-in Tariff:

In 2014, the Nigerian government put into law the feed-in Tariff (FiT) Scheme, to provide guaranteed prices for renewable energy generators. This scheme is to help attract investors by assuring these developers certainty on revenues received.

Bioenergy Development Programme (BDP):

This is a government-funded program set up to provide support to the biomass sector. Its purpose is to help provide grants for individuals and businesses interested in biomass project development and construction of biomass power plants.

National Biomass Energy Strategic Plan (NBESP):

In 2018, the government published NBESP, A roadmap for the development of biomass energy. This blueprint aims to increase biomass energy generation to 10% of national energy generation by the year 2030.

Incentives for businesses and investors

The Government currently provides different incentives for businesses to help promote the biomass energy sector.

Policies like the BDP help provide grants and loans to businesses and investors seeking to invest in the sector.

The FiT scheme helps to reduce the amount spent by those in the biomass sector while also aiming to provide a higher revenue intake for investors and developers.

Current and proposed incentives or subsidies

But there are still other ways through which the government can provide more support for the biomass sector. This includes the allocation of lands, creating ease of access to permits, and also granting the biomass sector easy access to the Nigerian energy market.

Future Prospects

With an abundance of Biomass resources vastly spread around the country, it is almost without a doubt believed that if the right procedures are implemented, Nigeria can become one of the major generators of biomass energy.

Potential for scaling up biomass energy generation

following factors could help drive the growth of the biomass energy sector:

- Government Support

- Abundance Of Resources

- Growing Demand For Energy

And

- Falling Cost Of Technology.

If the factors listed above are properly exploited, Nigeria will be a step closer to achieving a breakthrough in energy supply. While also encouraging a sustainable and clean environment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Nigeria's energy challenges are substantial, given its large population and increasing energy demands. The extensive reliance on gasoline generators and diesel plants has led to economic issues, health concerns, and environmental problems, particularly carbon emissions. Biomass energy presents a viable and sustainable solution to these challenges.

Biomass energy is derived from renewable sources such as wood, agricultural waste, and solid waste. Its utilization can significantly reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, enhance energy security, and improve overall living conditions. Additionally, it can play a crucial role in reducing deforestation and land degradation.

However, there are several challenges and barriers to the widespread adoption of biomass energy in Nigeria. These include technical limitations, policy and regulatory hurdles, infrastructure and investment challenges, and the need for technological advancements. The government has taken some initiatives and incentives to promote biomass energy generation, but more support is needed.

The prospects for biomass energy in Nigeria are promising, given the abundance of resources, growing energy demand, falling technology costs, and the potential for government support. If these factors are harnessed effectively, Nigeria could become a significant player in biomass energy generation, addressing its energy challenges while contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable environment.