Solar and Electrical Engineer, Francis Jeremiah says Nigeria needs to take the development of renewable energy more seriously.
Engr. Francis, who spoke in Abuja, Nigeria, said that moving to a cleaner source of energy will not only help Nigeria achieve its quota in the fight against global warming, but also cut the overdependence on fossil fuel.
He said that for both environmental and economic reasons, Nigeria needs more work in green energy, adding that the overdependence on fossil fuel is killing the economy of the country.
“Each time we hear about any form of increment in pump price, the price of everything increases. You can imagine that happening in a country with plenty waters bodies and high level of sunlight.
“There is so much we can do to improve on the grid power and where that fails to happen, we have alternatives in solar energy which a lot of countries are presently embracing”, the Tel-Aviv University trained engineer said.
He said that a good amount of the solar energy in the country is not being harnessed and that with research and investment, solar energy could become a major source of electricity in the country.
“Electricity is everything and often a yardstick for how developed a community is and with our own research, it is possible to manufacture solar systems that can be affordable for rural communities especially.
“While we are still importing, the solar sector has created a lot of jobs and you can imagine what will happen when we start manufacturing quality panels and batteries in Nigeria. The jobs will be massive and the economic impacts will be felt everywhere”, he said.
