Track: Energy

Abstract

In order to improve the socio-economic development of any nation, such factors as the amount and type of energy resources available, conversion and extraction pathways employed, the rate of utilization and sustainability must be addressed appropriately. Nigeria is one of the developing countries that is lagging in that regard because of poor and disrupted investment in the energy sector irrespective of its enormous energy resources. Nigeria has enormous potential in both fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. Some of these renewable sources include hydropower, solar energy, wind power, biomass and geothermal energy. In this paper, the focus is on biomass energy because it is one of the sustainable renewable energy sources with high extraction potentials, due to the vast arable land and favourable climatic conditions in Nigeria. The biomass resources found in Nigeria include agricultural resources, forest resources, aquatic biomass, and waste. These resources are capable of generating about 2.33 EJ of energy and about 144 million tonnes in mass, yearly, which can be harnessed through some pathways such as thermochemical, physio-chemical, and biochemical, for heating or cooling, electricity generation, and as fuel for transportation. Some authors argued that the utilization of the available landmass for the production of biomass resources poses a great threat to food security in Nigeria. However, this challenge can be offset by enhancing the existing agricultural practices to improve the quality of yield without tampering with the quantity of food produced. Biomass is reliable, cost-effective, sustainable, and has the capacity to create both direct and indirect jobs.