Harnessing Solar Energy Potential as an Alternative Source of Electrical Energy in North Central, Nigeria
Publication Date: 07/08/2020
Author(s): Ndanusa Babakatcha, Jibrin Alhaji Yabagi, Muhammad Bello Ladan, Muyodeen Dawodu Oladipupo.
Volume/Issue: Volume 3 , Issue 4 (2020)
Abstract:
The demand for electrical power to drive the economy of Nigeria as a nation is on the rise geometrically, while its availability is either stagnant or in a decline due to inefficient or decay in the available sources of power energy generation and the interconnectivity to form national grid. This work examines the potentials of solar energy that could be tapped as an alternative source of power energy generation in North central states of Nigeria using experimental approach of measuring daily solar radiations across all the study area at interval of one hour using light meter (LX 101A) from which daily and monthly mean were then evaluated. The results obtained showed that north central states has an average solar radiation value of 9.8MJm-2 (2.7 kWhm-2) and 27 MJm-2 (7.5 kWhm-2) as minimum and maximum, obtain in August and December respectively in 2018 and with 0.1% of land mass of states dedicated as solar panel farms, North Central, Nigeria has the potentials of generating 29,168.29 MW of Electrical energy which is far more than the current power energy demand of the Nation.
