For decades, Nigeria had been faced with several formidable energy crises that have not only undermined her economic growth but also deprived over 50 million population the privilege of sustainable and reliable access to electricity. In recent times, the Nigeria power sector has witnessed a substantial decline in energy production which forced, many households and businesses to rely on the fossil fuel-based generators to meet the energy demand. Currently, the available generation capacity is constantly hovering between 3500MW and 5000 MW for a population of about 200 million people. This is an indication that there is a wide energy gap between demand and supply. However, Nigeria is gifted with diverse renewable energy resources that are not being fully exploited to meet its energy future needs. This paper provides a comprehensive review of renewable energy sources (REs) potentials in Nigeria, their current exploitation status and the potential contribution of renewable energy sources is also discussed. The paper also presents the barriers to REs utilization, the existing policy and regulatory instruments to mitigate these barriers. The recommendations to promote renewable energy sources are also proposed. The research findings established that Nigeria has potential REs, such as biomass, solar, wind and hydropower that can be fully harnessed to increase energy supply and to mitigate energy deficit in the country if fully taped.
Key words: Nigeria, Energy crisis, Electricity, Energy Policy, Renewable energy
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