The National Vice Chairman of the Renewable Energy and Energy Sufficiency Association (REEEA), Prof. Magnus Onuoha has called on the government at all levels to invest more in renewable energy as an alternative source to boost power supply in the country.
Onuoha, an energy expert, made the call in an interview on Friday in Abuja where he said that 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy must be delivered by the three levels of government as soon as possible in order to increase the amount of electricity available.
He noted that the nation must go off-grid because around 80% of people living in rural areas lack access to electricity.
In his words, “Beyond the grid system, we should look at the alternative which is the renewable energy or the off-grid system,”. “We thank the government for the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) granted in 2016, it shows that they want to mainstream renewable energy.’’
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According to Onuoha, energy is essential for the production of goods and services, and if the nation gets its energy balance just right, it would result in sustainable development.
He noted that REEEA had been assisting power agencies by informing them that renewable energy was a substitute for a reliable source of power.
“We are trying to encourage political actors to key into renewable energy and off-grid systems,” he said. “There are still a lot of bottlenecks even as the ease of doing business is being relaxed, these are all challenges”. “As we begin to move into renewable energy and the off-grid system, there is the need to x-ray the financial risk and ensure that investors are not exposed to unnecessary risk,”.
Story was adapted from EnviroNews.
