When I read the topic, I did not it sounded more like how nigeria could become a world super power. I was ecstatic about the need for us to stop negative thinking for positive to drive positive development in nigeria. But nonetheless, this would also be a positive development in nigeria. Gbawe keep up the good work.


GOD Bless Nigeria and everyplace else.

Solar power ko nuclear power ni. @op stop dreaming and face reality; cheap propaganda will not do us any good.

In adding my 2 cents let me point out that quality solar panel and equipment manufacture is not so profitable for investors, this infact led to the closure of major solar equipment makers and manufacturing units of large org in europe in the last 3 years. What we need is likely a government sponsored company that will run as a low or zero profit unit. It could one of those closed business in europe that will be re-established here.

Ngasky:

i thought i am discussing with educative buddy over there. oga continue.

still lazy to read and comprehend ba
no problem, more money for me

Gbawe:

Solar continues to become more reliable and easier to maintain. Today there are even self-cleaning coating for photovoltaic panels.

With the batteries, my impression is that this is not an issue if running a solar farm with photovoltaic panels directing energy to an inverter which then supply power directly to the grid (see article below). Batteries matter if we are talking of a solar plant where power goes from the solar panel to batteries and then on to the inverter before output to a grid. In any case, my impression is that battery technology has come a long way and that there are now many near zero maintenance batteries available.

Overall, our VP has stressed that renewable energy is part of a 'mix' to alleviate our power challenges going forward and I think it is an option worth looking into since we have the comparative advantage of very good sunshine all year round and the required land to establish solar farms

good analysis. but the problems are:
1. self cleaning of dust equipment is out of the world in case of price. also we know that dust and dirty particles are neutral in charge. if they have specific charge we can use electro or magnetic surfaces to repel them. so in this case we must use something to wipe the surface. so we can have a motor just like wiper to clean the surface. such wipers must consume electricity (energy loss)
2. it can be used to provide electricity without batteries if you are planning to use it for only 6 hours per day why ? because lets take example of Sokoto state it has the highest daytime hours in the country that is why the solar energy research institute of Nigeria is located there. the sunrise time is between 6-7am but the panels only reach their peak values by 11-12 noon and by 4:30pm it will start decreasing until sunset which is around 7 pm. so you have about 6 hours of peak value everyday at best case scenario.
3. solar is an open system as such if the panel reads power output 120w the expected output will never exceed 70w at best case because open system has efficiency of less than 60% unlike closed system which can be as high as 95%
4. as for osinbajo he is a lawyer not engineer so he may not know all these as even Electrical engineer only those who work on these projects understand these salient issues. and the people tabling this idea to him have a lot to benefit if the government agree. if you know a single person among them follow that person to his home you will see he is using a generator not the solar he wants to dump on the government

Ngasky:

good analysis. but the problems are:
1. self cleaning of dust equipment is out of the world in case of price.

Prices are falling all the time.

2. it can be used to provide electricity without batteries if you are planning to use it for only 6 hours per day why ? because lets take example of Sokoto state it has the highest daytime hours in the country that is why the solar energy research institute of Nigeria is located there. the sunrise time is between 6-7am but the panels only reach their peak values by 11-12 noon and by 4:30pm it will start decreasing until sunset which is around 7 pm. so you have about 6 hours of peak value everyday at best case scenario.

You can store energy for off peak periods. More solar panels are becoming efficient enough to work even at night.

4. as for osinbajo he is a lawyer not engineer so he may not know all these as even Electrical engineer only those who work on these projects understand these salient issues. and the people tabling this idea to him have a lot to benefit if the government agree. if you know a single person among them follow that person to his home you will see he is using a generator not the solar he wants to dump on the government

Possibly because it is rather expensive at the moment. We need to incorporate an indigenous solar panel manufacturing industry into our equations

There is no short cut to hard work, talk on renewable energy has always been political. The mentality in Nigeria does not permit long term thinking that is why generators remain popular over inverters.

We can also explore somewhat more reliable renewable energy sources like biomass (plant derived) which can be converted to biofuels like biodiesel, bioethanol etc... We can generate electricity from palm oil, various plants and crops. The problem with that is there is the risk of simultaneously reducing the agricultural output and food productivity by using up those resources, but if managed well it can be done... I think Brazil is the world's leading producer of of biomass derived energy.

Rossikk:


Prices are falling all the time.
You can store energy for off peak periods. More solar panels are becoming efficient enough

but not fast enough for millions of panels and this is a new technology so there is patent right to contend with
secondly as someone above insinuate we are trying to bypass batteries and problems associated with energy storage even do i know it is impossible but just for the sake of debate

Mr Ngasky, i do not share your pessimism. I have designed and installed a couple of solar systems, so i appreciate the challenges.

The problem of dust is a huge challenge especially in the dusty north, that is why solar panels are not very efficient without elaborate and expensive cleaning procedures. I believe solar panels are more efficient down south. Yes the sunlight is lower than the north, but the periodic rains would self clean the panels, eliminating the need for physical cleaning.

Also the battery challenge can be reduced by reducing the battery bank used in the system. As much power as immediately required should be extracted from the system. Back up time of over 4 hours should be avoided.
Solar power system is not economical when it is used as a stand alone power supply system, it must be used with other sources to make it more economically viable. I think a hybrid system of solar panel and wind generators has promising potentials. This would further reduce the battery bank required.

With Nigeria generating and distributing an average of 4,000Mwatts, solar power use is a must. We must research more on solar power systems.

[/b]

prospero5:
[b]...Nigeria needs national energy policy, regulatory programmes and innovative financing mechanisms...

This part got me thinking.
I know Nigeria's need can actually be met through renewable energy.
My question: can Nigeria sustain a programme beyond a 4-year political time plan?

Yes we can.

GSM revolution was sustained.

Pension Reform programme was sustained.

Ngasky,

Your argument is based on solar panel/batteries/inverters [photovoltaic cells technology]. That's old, low-scale technology.

Different countries now use what's called concentrated solar power technology which is on a large-scale.

Let me borrow Wikipedia's definition of the technology..."Concentrated solar power (also called concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal, and CSP) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat, which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator or powers a thermochemical reaction (experimental as of 2013)."

The beauty of CSP is that it doesn't require constant daylight/sunshine. The heat of the sun is stored overnight in special thermal liquids so that the thermal plants run round the clock. And in spite of all, it's cheaper to build than traditional power plants.

That's what is used at the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility [http://ivanpahsolar.com/] in California and currently in development in Masdar City [www.masdar.ae] in the UAE.

Read more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masdar_City

cc Gbawe

jhhu;p

Another article written by a rather ecstatic reporter.

In other words, Nigeria could easily install around 1,000 GW of solar generation – equivalent to 40 times the current peak power demand (about 25 GW) – using just 0.5 per cent of its land. In addition, Nigeria can produce over 100 GW from wind power

Nigeria can easily install? Easily? Really? Why has Nigeria not easily addressed the challenges present in the current model of power generation and transmission?

skyfall:
Ngasky,

Your argument is based on solar panel/batteries/inverters [photovoltaic cells technology]. That's old, low-scale technology.

Different countries now use called concentrated solar power technology which is on a large-scale.

Let me borrow Wikipedia's definition of the technology..."Concentrated solar power (also called concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal, and CSP) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat, which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator or powers a thermochemical reaction (experimental as of 2013)."

The beauty of CSP is that it doesn't require constant daylight/sunshine. The heat of the sun is stored overnight in special thermal liquids so that the thermal plants run round the clock. And in spite of all, it's cheaper to build than traditional power plants.

That's what is used at the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility [http://ivanpahsolar.com/] in California and currently in development in Masdar City [www.masdar.ae] in the UAE.

Read more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_tower
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanpah_Solar_Power_Facility
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masdar_City

cc Gbawe

How far Oga Skyfall? Long time. hope you dey 'kampe'. You don't post much lately. Great info. Very informative. Advances are being made daily in the area of renewable energy and a Nation like Nigeria must at least look seriously at solar energy as part of the power mix.

skyfall:
Ngasky,Concentrated solar power (also called concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal, and CSP) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat, which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator or powers a thermochemical reaction (experimental as of 2013).[/color]"

The beauty of CSP is that it doesn't require constant daylight/sunshine. The heat of the sun is stored overnight in special thermal liquids so that the thermal plants run round the clock. And in spite of all, it's cheaper to build than traditional power plants.
cc Gbawe

Sunlight extends to nighttime? We are back to batteries once again (the special thermal liquids) . You admit this is experimental as such they must be extra extra expensive. Think of the amount of energy to turn a turbine and remember the law of thermodynamics the input is always greater than the output. (Perpertual motion machine analogy)
What is the size of the lens or mirrow to generate just 1000w of energy
I am very interested in that liquid that stores heat energy and if possible i would like to know the chemical name of that substance with such great possibility. Thank you

Ngasky:

Sunlight extends to nighttime? We are back to batteries once again (the special thermal liquids) . You admit this is experimental as such they must be extra extra expensive. Think of the amount of energy to turn a turbine and remember the law of thermodynamics the input is always greater than the output. (Perpertual motion machine analogy)
What is the size of the lens or mirrow to generate just 1000w of energy
I am very interested in that liquid that stores heat energy and if possible i would like to know the chemical name of that substance with such great possibility. Thank you

In a rush to "win the argument" you didn't take your time to read about the technology. My post says that the steam turbine is "connected to a power generator" which is a century-old technology for generating electricity (through electromagnetism). What was experimental as at 2013 is using it "to power a thermochemical reaction".

If you're really a scientist, you would take your time to read wide about the technology before rushing ro reply cynically.

For the chemical used to store the heat for running the turbines at night, read up on "fluidized silica sand" as a thermal storage and heat transfer medium. That's just one of the industrial scale heat storage media out there.

The bottomline is that the future of renewable energy is very bright. New technologies are coming out on a daily basis, such that even the oil addicts like the USA are paying attention. Nigeria as an emerging economy obviously stands to gain a lot from this trend.

Gbawe:


How far Oga Skyfall? Long time. hope you dey 'kampe'. You don't post much lately. Great info. Very informative. Advances are being made daily in the area of renewable energy and a Nation like Nigeria must at least look seriously at solar energy as part of the power mix.

I'm doing fine, bro. Thanks.

I've been on Nairaland, but more as an observer. Don't worry, i read all your posts. Keep the progressive flag flying. I hope APC srategists are reading all these wonderful ideas and contributions.

As a stakeholder in the Renewable/Alternative Power industry in Nigeria with over 3 years commercial success, I believe that we can achieve this. Planning is critical. I will also advise that the execution of the solar power system should be off-grid and regional. Having one generating station will have lots of operational cons. But we can do this.

braindee:
As a stakeholder in the Renewable/Alternative Power industry in Nigeria with over 3 years commercial success, I believe that we can achieve this. Planning is critical. I will also advise that the execution of the solar power system should be off-grid and regional. Having one generating station will have lots of operational cons. But we can do this.

100% in agreement with you. We need modular power plants rather than the old school national grid system. I even think that each state should have its own grid.

skyfall:


100% in agreement with you. We need modular power plants rather than the old school national grid system. I even think that each state should have its own grid.

Of course, states can have Solar system version of the IPP to power especially industrial areas and commercial centers.

Interesting, am following this because I want to be a major player in renewable energy starting from next year,that's the new gold in the next ten years.with what tesla and hyundai,lg is doing in new batteries technology, that's the way to go,but government should make sure it surround it self with the real expert.

braindee:


Of course, states can have Solar system version of the IPP to power especially industrial areas and commercial centers.

And don't forget the gas-fired modular IPP model which Lagos has been using for public utilities for years now. I hope Fashola takes that initiative to the center, and the NA makes legislation which would enable states in conjuction with private organizations generate power for sale to the distribution companies.

Ngasky:
this is not feasible technically. it is an attempt to deceive the government. the cons against solar or wind power are greater than the pros

Explain?. All European countries are now on 30%:wind and solar. The UK has thousands of offshore wind farms generating power in the sea and sending it onshore. Solar cells are getting cheaper and the government wants people to pay for the panels small small. You can be powered off grid for 24 hours.

Adminisher:


Explain?. All European countries are now on 30%:wind and solar. The UK has thousands of offshore wind farms generating power in the sea and sending it onshore. Solar cells are getting cheaper and the government wants people to pay for the panels small small. You can be powered off grid for 24 hours.

Solar /wind Only on paper. the entire europe and west are on nuclear not solar /wind. It is a propaganda

Ngasky:

Solar /wind Only on paper. the entire europe and west are on nuclear not solar /wind. It is a propaganda

You may be right sir. But I see a good government policy on energy incorporating solar/wind power systems as being beneficial in Short and long terms.

I'm amazed at where you guys source your optimism from. Right now the enabling legislative frame work that many believe will go a long way in tackling the present power crisis is nowhere to be seen, nobody is even talking about it. This is something that can be addressed now and which will have a clear effect. Nigeria has enough resources at the moment to meet our energy needs the old fashioned way, i.e, non-renewables like gas, coal, etc and we still haven't gotten things right yet folks here have high hopes for energy alternatives that are intermittent and to a certain degree experimental, how come?

skyfall:


100% in agreement with you. We need modular power plants rather than the old school national grid system. I even think that each state should have its own grid.

I think Fashola favours this. He actually advocated similar for Lagos to secure adequate power supply for the State. I am expecting Fashola to succeed because the man is addicted to providing solutions above everything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkvbZ0ADmz0

[size=15pt]Why solar power is spreading so fast in Africa[/size]

Ngasky:

no battery for sure?! BATTERIES ARE A MOST REQUIREMENT IN SOLAR INSTALLATION
where is the desert land in Nigeria ? i think you didnt travel across the country.

read more. i said concentrated solar power not photo voltaic.you no de hear word, just de talk de talk. calm down. google is free

Dont tell us, do it let's see.

mikolo80:
read more. i said concentrated solar power not photo voltaic.you no de hear word, just de talk de talk. calm down. google is free

Concentrated as in night ?go and learn .
Ask your Google what is the efficiency of solar system vis a vis other conventional power sources. Solar can only be used in very light power application eg computer and security system.
Go and check what you need to use 1 hot pressing iron of averagely 2000w you need
1. 30 pieces of solar panels they are rated at 75w each.(at 100% efficiency which is impossible)
2. 10 heavy duty car batteries of 200Ah each.
3. 2.5KVA inverter atleast 45000-70000 naira depending on manufacturer.
The above assortment will enable you to use your pressing iron to iron your clothes
Note: efficiency of open system is always between 45-50% as such you need about 50 solar panels in reality and remember the number of hours you can use it in a day which is about 6 hours a day
I repeat conventional power stations or nuclear are the only viable options
Also my job gave me first hand experience on solar and other sources ie generators every single day i am using both systems i don't need theoretical Google write up.
Today if Nigeria is to adopt solar i will be among the first 100 engineers to benefit personally but at the expense of the state. So personally I have alot to gain by the state adopting the solar option