Do you aware the fact that in the U.S. in California's giant wind power plant that produces 20 Terawatt hours (20,000 million kilowatt-hours [MWh]) of the wind-generated electricity annually- - -enough to meet the needs of more than 3 millions energy-conscious Californians or twice that numbers of energy-hungry Europeans?

Why cannot Nigeria build its own several giant wind power plants that hold 40 millions energy-conscious Nigerians in the quality of eliminated electricity utilities lines and fossil-fueled backup generators?

South Africa are succeeded having wind-generated renewable energy. There are over 100,000 wind-generators sold in both U.S. and U.K. including other countries with rural farming areas. I found 2 Nigeria wind-generated structural business directory that also available to sell wind-generated electricity products.

I know it cost money and Nigeria's long history of corruptions/money stolen!!! Can it be solved in electricity issues?

it will help a great deal to have alternative source of electricity especially wind and solar.

there might be problems with location and mantainance but with proper planning we should be able increase the current output. If states that have high wind speed actually build wind farm(s) they can provide 24hr electricity to the state, that is if they dont merge it with the national grid.

Nweke Jnr actually said "it is not an option but a must" to develop nuclear power for electricity

@LoverBwoy

I already read Nairaland topic: Business Areas That Need Investment In Nigeria that is found the following link below:
www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-5372.0.html

Therefore, developing nuclear power for electricity is NOT FEASIBLE solution for Nigeria.

The development of wind generated electricity farm is the state-of-the-art cost-effective renewable energy solution for people who hate paying for electricity utilities lines and fuel/diesel backup generators.

Wind farms is not new idea, it has been less than 200 years started in Europe that imported to the U.S. Wind mills are used for farm to generate water to keep vegetables growing in the farming fields. Today, wind-generated electricity is popular for all homes, boat, farm, business and RV (mobile campers).

What is more---I was told reading by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria website on the following quote at below:

POWER SECTOR:        Government has concluded plans toward italization of installations of the National Electric Power Authority, [NEPA] enable it meet its total installed capacity of 6000MW.  Sufficient funds are being injected for the rehabilitation of aging plants and equipment.  In order to allow full private sector participation in power generation, transmission and distribution, government has accepted to deregulate the sector year 2000.  This will allow local and foreign investors to build, own and operate and/or transfer independent electricity.  All laws that inhibit private sector participation in the power sector are being reviewed to amend them and encourage investment.  This step will complement the de-consolidation of the industry as far as the state-owned NEPA is concerned.  The hitherto largely over-centralized operations of this agency will be decentralized.

Their Embassy's Investment in Nigeria lists one of those needed investments that I found for the development of wind turbines generation for electricity, that's why I start to research and gather needed information for myself to write new proposal.

Why do you think NEPA/PHCH would be involved this development of wind-generated powered farms? I do not think so, because it is independent electricity that belongs to local and foreign investors who build, own, operate and/or transfer them.

So why bother to develop nuclear power energy for electricity in Nigeria? I don't want any ARAB/IRAN/IRAQ armed miliants invade to Nigeria if Nigeria build Nuclear power energy because of ARAB/IRAN/IRAQ want to steal NUCLEAR POWER ENERGY for no reason. 

I also don't know why they want nuclear power for electricity. there is only 35-45years worth of uranium left in the world and by 2020 that'll make it even less

Don't believe everything you read on their website, they have very good plans just that more often than not they don't follow it through.

PHCN is being privatised at the moment so these private investor might probably try anything- experiment with more source of generating electricity. Since they have huge capital they'll probably stick to gas turbines and hydro

wind farms are guaranteed alternatives for houses and on a smaller scale they'll be very successful.

I heard Britain isn't happy with their wind turbines because they're not as effective as they thought. Lots of research is needed, wind energy is difficult to properly harness for mass distribution.

We seem to forget that in Nigeria we have leders with expiered ideas. Leaders whose minds are preoccupied with how to milk us dry while they send their families abroad to enjoy the devidends of good governance. The issue of Power generation and distribution in Nigeria is NO BIG DEAL if the socalled leaders will channell our resources to the right direction. Gas produced by LNG and other Oil Companies is enough to generate electricity for the whole of West Africa.

Wind energy and solar energy make a lot of sense as the resources are enormous.

You cannot use either for reliable backup unless you have a large battery bank that could provide for any autonomy that you require from 1 hr to 3 days.

Hybrid backup makes sense as wind energy complements solar energy as the two cannot be producing energy at the same time.

I have not used a generator in my office for over two years and yet I never run out of power.

A simple inverter (we build them locally and offer 1 year full warranty, we repair or replace at no cost) and a good battery bank is all you need to venture into alternative energy because the average home or office in Nigeria still sees enough utility power to charge your battery bank unless you want to be completely energy independent.

Though expensive to acquire it is far cheaper even when evaluated in just 1 year or 2 years in some cases.

Naija -

This is a good topic. There is no doubt that the future on power generation is renewable energy.
To this effect I have just established an enterprise in Denver CO. USA called African Renewable Energy Solutions
email bankog@netzero.com
Afam was right about hybrid systems where you can combine both solar and turbines or turbine/generator, solar/generator. Good deep cell bank of bateries will store enough DC current power a house for days.
Please email me directly for help in setting up these systems

Using gas powered power plants is value for money

Wind energy power plants costs far more than most other alternatives.That is part of the reason it is hardly used

4 Play:

Using gas powered power plants is value for money

Unless the issue of global warming is not a concern to you.

4 Play:

Wind energy power plants costs far more than most other alternatives.That is part of the reason it is hardly used

Renewable energy may be expensive to setup but pays for itself in a couple of years (in some cases in just 1 year).

Solar energy is the most expensive form of renewable energy unless a lot of progress will be made with organic materials as against silicon based solar cells.

For anyone living in Nigeria, the sorry state of NEPA (PHCN) is still enough to guarantee steady power year in year out.

Of course, utility power is cheap but comes at a great cost to the environment as most power plants either burn coal or fossil fuel.

Further more, the average Nigerian is a power waster, hence may not realize that power is expensive until we begin to see steady power supply.

I keep advicing people to do a small energy efficiency program like changing the regular 60W/100W bulbs to energy saving ones that are rated at just 15W and these are even brighter.

Renewable energy is the key to the future.

Great i received good responses about wind-generated electricity energy.

I prefer the combination of hybird system that contains rooftop-mount solar and small-scale wind generator with invertor and battery backup to build small family-single houses. The hybird system can produces up to 15000 MWh per house with all energy-efficiency lights and appliances. Not just for several Giant Wind-generated farms for one state(Lagos) that produce 20 Terawatt hours (20,000 million kilowatt-hours [MWh]) to hold 40 millions Lagoians. 

I have done my homework finding homemade-built hybird system cost less than USD $1000.00 (N133,333.00) that brought me idea to increase new employment I need (i won't buy wind-generator/solar energy from Nigeria or South Africa energy distributors (manufacturers)). But still i work on research more depth. Because there are lot of DIY (do-it-yourself) homemade-built hybird for homeowners to build small-scale wind-generator and solar renewable engery houses. (more than 50 DIY tools).

See other topic at nairaland under General Discussion on the section of Business at below:
Build New solar/wind-generator houses in Nigeria

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-40917.0.html

I wonder where in Lagos metropolis you want to build those wind generators. Great you did a cost analysis, what about feasibility?

There is ample land for buiding in surburbs such as Agege, Iddo, Alagbado, Ajegunle e.t.c It doesnt have to be in the cbd.

It should be in lekki, Ajah and VGC area

Am still not convinced that wind power represents value for money.If it was the case,the rich nations would be investing more in it than they do in traditional sources of power.

A poor nation like Nigeria has to use its resources in the most financially efficient way possible

In the UK,communities regularly resist siting of wind turbines in their area because it takes up so much land space.

If you can't find land in Northern England,where will you find it in LAGOS

4play must be talking of the huge turbines, the type used in wind farms. There smaller turbines made for home use that only measure 2feet long and which are very good in powering homes. That rich nations are not investing in renewable energy is wrong. This seems to be the trend for many developed first world countries. Whether we like it or not, it is going to be a trend in Africa with our ample supply of renewable energy source. Fossil fuel has been responsible for the global warming which is slowly destroying our world. The weather partern in many countries is getting very bad.
In Colorado this year, we have had more snow in one month than we did the past three years put together. Some parts of New York now have accumulation of over 13 feet! the months of November to December were the warmest in history. In Europe, many cities were recording a warm trend were the trees were starting to bloom in the middle of winter.
With renewaqble energy in Nigeria, we can cure our bad pollution problem. Every time I travel to Nigeria, I get sick from the foul air especially in Lagos. For this reason, I prefer to stay in my village and only go to Lagos when I have to.
Renewable energy is the future of power generation and African Renewable Energy Solutions intends to help educate Nigerians. Like Afam said, you can recoup the cost in a matter of one to two years and even be able to sell your surplus power to neighbors or the utility company.

The overwhelming majority of Nigerians cannot afford those smaller wind turbines.

Fossil fuel is largely responsible for global warming but the major polluting nations are reluctant to act.A poor nation like Nigeria won't make a dent in the increase in global warming.We should not invest in something that will have no appreciable impact
on the planet when the major nations have not come round to the idea

The foul air in Lagos has nothing to do with the power stations in Lagos.

If Nigeria was to miraculously turn exclusively to renewable energy at the expense of all our gas resources,it will not make any impact on the snow levels in Colorado.

If it doesn't make an impact in colorado it will make an impact in our local communities

when the major countries actually decide to make a change then we might find it extremely expensive because it the in thing, we will now be bringing in some "consultants" to do feasibility test for us.

I think it is better we incorporate it now with the current system, major countries are reluctant because it is now difficult to implement, they've spent so much on the current system any sudden change now will probably slow down their economy

A poor nation like Nigeria has to  use its resources in the most financially efficient way possible

Like.  .   .

Burning off more gas I suppose, the smog in Lagos isn't enough, the corroded zinc roofs and poor soil from acid rain isn't enough, the asthma people get from bad air isn't enough, burn off more fuel.

4Play is from the George Bush school of thought, they do not think global warming is a problem. If every country folds their arms because no other nation is acting, I wonder if anyone will act.

We can actually build more dams through artificial lakes like Lake Volta in Ghana.

Donzman:

Burning off more gas I suppose, the smog in Lagos isn't enough, the corroded zinc roofs and poor soil from acid rain isn't enough, the asthma people get from bad air isn't enough, burn off more fuel.

No,gas fired power stations are not the causes of smog,corroded zinc roofs,poor soil and asthma.Let me put it this way,here in London they burn more fuel than in the whole of Nigeria but yet the quality of the air is still much better than in Lagos.

Most of these things are caused by the old vehicles we drive in and emissions from factories not the Egbin power station

Donzman:



4Play is from the George Bush school of thought, they do not think global warming is a problem. If every country folds their arms because no other nation is acting, I wonder if anyone will act.

.

Zuwo,if a nation that has neglible impact on global warming were to invest in costly technology it will have neglible impact on global warming.

LoverBwoy:

If it doesn't make an impact in colorado it will make an impact in our local communities

With respect to global warming,it is not localised.Reducing our fossil fuel emissions won't have an impact on the effects of global warming in Nigeria

LoverBwoy:


when the major countries actually decide to make a change then we might find it extremely expensive because it the in thing, we will now be bringing in some "consultants" to do feasibility test for us.

If renewable energy is too expensive for rich nations at the moment to adopt on a massive scale,it is more so for poorer countries.

In Nigeria,we have one of the world's largest reserves of natural gas.That is more economically sensible to exploit instead of flaring gas as we do at the moment.

Countries are lining up to buy our gas and people are advocating that we should stop using it for ourselves.Renewable energy is the way of the future but at the moment it cannot solve our energy needs

Sustainable development 4Play, burning off gas isn't sustainable, renewable energy is. We can sell that gas and use it to fund renewable energy sources and research towards energy sustainability. At the end of the day when the gas has run out, we will be glad we have invested in renewable energy technology. Unless you want us to burn our gas now then depend on foreign energy technology in the future.

Donzman:

Sustainable development 4Play, burning off gas isn't sustainable, renewable energy is. We can sell that gas and use it to fund renewable energy sources and research towards energy sustainability. At the end of the day when the gas has run out, we will be glad we have invested in renewable energy technology. Unless you want us to burn our gas now then depend on foreign energy technology in the future.

Dude,you and I know that investing in renewable energy would not neccessarily make us develop indigenous technology in renewable energy that would free us from foreign technology.

We have invested billions of dollars on fossil fueled power plants and yet we have no discernible technology in that area that is indigenous.

What we need most is economic growth and we can't get that unless we learn to allocate scarce resources efficiently.Right now the most efficient source of energy is natural gas,which we have an abundance of.

The Western nations find renewable energy very costly and that is why they have been slow in adopting it and they have resorted to doing things such as importing gas from us.If it is too costly for them,it is more so for us.

All this talk of us developing our own technology is gibberish and you know that

You might want to find out why they find renewable energy more costly?. . .Could it be because countries like Nigeria give them Oil and Gas on the cheap?. . .Cost is relative right? If the price of gas goes up, suddenly renewable energy does not seem that costly anymore. If the price of gas goes up, we will do better selling and using the funds generated to invest in other sectors.

Just because you produce oil does not mean you have to consume it. You could be better off trading what you produce for what you want to consume, theory of Comparative Advantage. We have oil, they have renewable energy which is what the future dictates, we can trade the oil for renewable energy. I have no data and unable to do cost analysis so no final conclusions but just based on the fact that oil and gas isn't forever (they're not diamonds), I'll favour selling it and investing in other sustainable energy sources/

Donzman:

I wonder where in Lagos metropolis you want to build those wind generators. Great you did a cost analysis, what about feasibility?

I prefer outside of Lagos where the land is unrestricted private land or open space rated low conflict or conservation without grossly endangering wildlife or threatening scenic, recreational or ecological values such as critical habitat, roadless areas, rare species, old growth or steep slopes) that is more suitable for hybird system to build single-family houses. Even great for giant wind farms there.

I use my cost analysis that i prefer homemade-built wind-generators and solar energy from used junk yard supplies that can be found in Nigeria. I already gathered all homeowners' DIY homemade-built hybird suitable for small house less than 1000 square feet with all energy saving appliances/light bulbs.

What do you mean by feasiblity? I guess the result from renewable energy homeowners said that it saves 60% electricity bills reduced with low maintenance. Just take your responsible to check the battery and oil change for wind mechanical every 2-3 months just like your car you responsible for oil change. Battery costs less than USD$50.00 and oil change costs less than $25.00. (only in renewable engery small houses).

Last part, I do not understand that part where you all concern about poor nations not afford to buy hybird system.  Look I had been research that lot of poor nations received hybird system such those countries where they do not have electricity or road to support the needs- - - mostly donated by U.S./U.K. private sectors, that is where I got the idea:

Tsunami, Sri Lanka
Brazil, South America
Costa
South Pacific island (Samoa, Ulutogia)
Mali
Ghana
Tanzania
Senegal
Zambia
South Africa
Mexico
Somilai

Well, this topic is very interesting I learn, it is the same things what U.S. and U.K. talk about concerning rural/poor nations on renewable energy like Seun, Afam and 4Play say.

However, homemake-built renewable energy that you can find from old cars, old fans, old microwave ovens and old RV (mobile campers) to build wind turbines and solar energy, not necessary to buy from wind/solar energy distributors which is costly. I found DIY tools for wind turbines/solar energy. I guess I will re-educate Nigerians how to do that without rely on government for energy supply. Why you depend on GOVERNMENT?    

Donzman:

You might want to find out why they find renewable energy more costly?. .

Go on tell us why

Donzman:

You might want to find out why they find renewable energy more costly?. . .Could it be because countries like Nigeria give them Oil and Gas on the cheap?. .

No we don't sell it on the cheap.We sell gas to the US at almost the same price as Canada sells to the US.Energy prices have been going up over the past few years

Donzman:

If the price of gas goes up, suddenly renewable energy does not seem that costly anymore.

We have not yet reached that stage

Donzman:

If the price of gas goes up, we will do better selling and using the funds generated to invest in other sectors.

No we will do better investing in the most cost effective energy resources.That is what economics is about

Donzman:



Just because you produce oil does not mean you have to consume it. You could be better off trading what you produce for what you want to consume, theory of Comparative Advantage.

No,David Ricardo's Theory of Comaparative Advantage demands that you spend what what you have on what you don't have if it is cheaper that way.It is not cheaper to trade our very cheap domestic fossil fuels for very expensive Western renewable technology

Donzman:

I have no data and unable to do cost analysis so no final conclusions but just based on the fact that oil and gas isn't forever (they're not diamonds), I'll favour selling it and investing in other sustainable energy sources/

This is not matter of now or never.We can use the cheaper fossil fuels now and when it is more cost effective ,renewable energy.We shouldn't jump the gun.

India and China are developing nations yet they are nowhere near engaging in such large scale investment in renewable energy.You must have heard of them snapping up our hydrocarbon

If this was such a brilliant idea,why aren't they doing it first

Being completely energy independent is not for the faint hearted and is not too attractive an option for many.

In Nigeria today, one can enjoy uninterrupted power supply with inverters, chargers and battery banks even with the present level of power supply.

Either by gas or by wind LET THERE BE LIGHT

I hear you!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml;jsessionid=5RAHRGJBLNPCTQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/money/2007/02/19/ccview19.xml

Interesting article.