In today’s Nigeria where the removal of petrol subsidy and the imminent hike in the price of electricity, an increased investment in renewable sources of energy may be the long-term solution.
And one of the best ways to reduce the effects of petrol subsidy removal and the continuous increase in electricity is more investment in renewable sources of energy.
Prince Ikechukwu is an energy expert who has been working in the field for just over five years and specializes in converting biodegradable wastes to clean cooking gas.
He believes that now “is the right time to tap into the renewable energy sector which has been lying dormant all through the years” with the new subsidy removal regime.
Ikechukwu tells Nigeria Info correspondent, Emmanuel Maduabuchi, that alternative energy sources such as biodegradable wastes can be converted to biogas to power homes and transport systems.
“We have untapped resources in renewable energy. Nigerians can actually tap into biogas.
“In our homes, we have a lot of food waste. We have a lot of vegetables, fruits and all, have you. All these are untapped sources which we can convert to biogas.
“Biogas can actually cushion the effect of this hike in fuel and all the rest of”, he noted.
Since the removal of the petrol subsidy, some videos have been circulating on social media where individuals are seen using cooking gas to power their generators.
While many believe this may not be safe, Ikechukwu thinks otherwise. According to him, the recent usage of cooking gas to power generators is a cheaper, safe and cleaner source of energy.
“Using cooking gas to power our generator is not a new technology,” he says.
“It has been in vogue for years and it serves to be one of the safest technologies so far. When you are running it on generator, there is no percentage of any risk (because) there is no fire that is coming out anywhere.
The energy expert wants Nigerians to give more attention to this alternative source of energy as “it is more economical.”
“For instance, if you fill your 3kg cylinder, it will last for 15 hours and fuel (petrol) can only last for nine hours,” Ikechukwu adds.
