Energy Conservation Measures in Nigeria

International Journal of Energy Engineering IJEE
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Measures: Tools

for Sustainable Energy Development in Nigeria
OYEDEPO, Sunday Olayinka
Mechanical Engineering Department, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
Sunday.oyedepo@covenantuniversity.edu.ng
Abstract- Energy is an important production factor and therefore modern energy leads to stable economic development,
should be managed in parallel with land, labor and capital. promotion of trade, and enhancement of participation in global
Energy resources and their utilization intimately relate to markets, besides the added benefits of better social and
sustainable development. In attaining sustainable development, economic linkages [2].
increasing the energy efficiencies of processes utilizing
sustainable energy resources plays an important role. A The term ‘Sustainable Development’ has been popularised
sustainable energy system may be regarded as a cost-efficient, by the World Commission on Environment and Development
reliable, and environmentally friendly energy system that (WCED), in its 1987 report entitled, ‘Our Common Future’.
effectively utilizes local resources and networks. Energy The Commission defined sustainable development as ‘the
efficiency and conservation measures have the potential to
promote economic development, ensuring access to energy and development that meets the needs of the present without
can lead to job creation and saving of personal income. More also, compromising the ability of future generation to meet their
energy efficiency will play a pivotal role in the mitigation of own needs’[3]. Sustainable development stands on three
climate change. In Nigeria, up to half of the energy currently pillars in terms of its definition for the 2002 World Summit on
consumed can be saved in the country if energy is efficiently Sustainable Development (WSSD): social development,
utilized. The major challenge has been that energy policy in economic development and environmental development.
Nigeria has undermined the importance and gains of energy
efficiency to the environment and economic growth. This paper As the very basis of development, energy use is closely
assesses possible ways to efficient energy utilization and related to the level of productivity in the industry, commerce,
conservation measures for sustainable energy development in agriculture and even in office activities. Energy consumption
economic sectors in Nigeria. per capita is one of the indicators or benchmarks for
Keywords- Sustainable Energy; Sustainable Development; measuring the standard of living of a people or nation. The
Energy; Efficient Energy; Energy Conservation unprecedented use of energy which began with the industrial
revolution certainly brought about massive increases in
I. INTRODUCTION productivity and changes in lifestyle. Since then energy
Energy, it is an essential ingredient for socio-economic demand has been in the increase - to produce more products,
development and economic growth. The objective of the travel further and faster or to be more comfortable. Physically,
energy system is to provide energy services. Energy services energy is defined as the capacity for doing work. The
are the desired and useful products, processes or indeed capacities of energy to do work are inherent properties of
services that result from the use of energy, such as for lighting, energy carriers. Although energy cannot be created nor
provision of air-conditioned indoor climate, refrigerated destroyed according to classical thermodynamics, its capacity
storage, transportation, appropriate temperatures for cooking, for doing work can be degraded and destroyed due to system
industrial processes such as conversion of raw materials to irreversibility in line with the logic of the second law of
final products, etc. The energy chain to deliver these cited thermodynamics [4].
services begins with the collection or extraction of primary Some of the common energy carriers or sources are coal,
energy, which is then converted into energy carriers suitable petroleum, natural gas, nuclear fuels, biomass etc. All of these,
for various end-uses. These energy carriers are used in energy the most widely used energy sources are the hydrocarbon
end-use technologies to provide the desired energy services compounds or fossil fuels which account for more than 80%
[1] . of global primary energy consumption [5]. For instance, fossil
Energy is central to sustainable development and poverty energies provide about 67% of the energy needed to produce
reduction efforts. It affects all aspects of development-social, electricity - a veritable and the most terminal form of energy
economic, and environmental-including livelihoods, access to for transmission and distribution for industrial production
water, agricultural productivity, health, population levels, processes [6]. According to the World Energy Outlook of
education, and gender related issues. None of the Millennium 2006, published by EIA [7], oil in particular will continue to
Development Goals (MDGs) can be met without major dominate the energy market into the foreseeable future. In
improvements in the quality and quantity of energy services in contrast, renewable resources are expected to contribute about
developing countries. 15% at best to the total primary energy requirements by the
Energy is intrinsically linked with sustainable end of 2030. The issues at stake however is that fossil energy
development at the local, national, and regional levels. At the resources upon which modern development depend have finite
local level, modern energy is required to improved the overall life span. Experts argue that if global consumption continues
quality of life (especially, that of the poor) by enhancing at its current pace, economically exploitable reserves of fossil
productive activities and enterprise, which will result in fuels will amount to no more than 40 years for oil, around 60
increased incomes. At national and regional levels, adequate years for gas and about 230 years for coal [6] .
IJEE Volume 2, Issue 3 Aug. 2012 PP. 86-98 www.ij-ee.org ©World Academic Publishing
ISSN 2225-6563(print) ISSN 2225-6571(online)
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Another source of concern in the continued use of fossil development. In attaining sustainable development, increasing
fuels in addition to its finite nature and the lack of possible the energy efficiencies of processes utilizing sustainable
replacement (at least in the short term) is in the area of the energy resources plays an important role [10].
environment. Climate change and environmental externalities
associated with energy consumption have become a major This study will thus take a look at the various energy
requirements of the various sectors visa-vis the energy
international issue. It has been observed that among the
various sectors contributing to green house gas (GHG) conservation opportunities therein and also the measures to
maximise these opportunities and thus conserve energy. The
emissions, industrial sector contribution was significant [8];
thus mitigating GHG emissions from the sector offers one of study identified some major areas through which energy
conservation measures can effectively cause some savings in
the best ways of confronting the climate change problem.
Energy efficiency is a major key in this regard. An estimated energy and allow for energy stability. The main area of focus
for application of energy conservation measures considered in
10-30% reduction can be achieved at little or no cost by
improving efficiency of energy use in the industry. this study include: Manufacturing/industrial set-up; office and
residential buildings, Transportation, power generation and
Although Nigeria is relatively endowed with abundant distribution. Each of these areas is being examined for
fossil fuels and other renewable energy sources, the energy possible energy savings, building a sustainable, long – term,
situation in the country is yet to be structured and managed in energy future in the country.
such a way as to ensure sustainable energy development. As a
nation that has limited technological capacity but sees II. GENERAL FEATURES OF ENERGY ECONOMY IN NIGERIA
industrialization as constituting a crucial leverage and pre- Energy is the mainstay of Nigeria‘s economic growth and
condition for meaningful development, Nigeria should be wise development. It plays a significant role in the nation‘s
enough to manage her scarce energy resources judiciously. As international diplomacy and it serves as a tradable commodity
a matter of utmost importance, industrialists, civil servants, for earning the national income, which is used to support
researchers, government officers and students inclusive in government development programmes. It also serves as an
Nigeria should take advantage of opportunities in low level, input into the production of goods and services in the nation‘s
low risk but high worth energy efficient measures that reduces industry, transport, agriculture, health and education sectors,
the bottom line of any business enterprise. In so doing, a lead as well as an instrument for politics, security and diplomacy
time will be created to pursue high-tech driven production [11].
processes that will find support at maturity in an already Nigeria is richly blessed with primary energy resources.
established energy efficient culture. Researches have shown The country is endowed with the world’s tenth largest reserves
that energy supply and end-use efficiency in the developing of crude oil currently estimated to be about 36 billion barrels
countries are still only two-thirds to one-half of what would be (about 4.896 billion tonne of oil equivalent (toe)) in 2006. The
considered “best practice” in the industrialized world. country has also been described as more of a natural gas island
According to a report by the Economic and Social than oil with an estimated endowment in 2006 put at about
Commission for Asia and the Pacific published by the United 166 trillion standard cubic feet (5,210 billion cubic meters).
Nations, energy savings of the order of 20 to 25% can be This includes associated and non-associated reserves, placing
achieved economically with existing capital stock in Nigeria among the top ten countries with the largest gas
developing nations and another 30 to 60% may be saved if reserves in the World. Other significant primary energy
investments are made in new, more efficient capital equipment. resource endowment in Nigeria include: Tar sands ~ 31 billion
The increasing role of energy efficiency as a catalyst for barrels oil equivalent (4.216 billion toe); Coal and Lignite–
sustainable development is realism in the industrialized estimated to be ~ 2.7 billion tonnes (1.882 billion toe); Large
countries of the world. In Nigeria the story is different at the Hydropower Potentials ~10,000 MW; Small Hydropower
Potentials, provisionally estimated to be ~ 734 MW. Table 1
moment as the huge benefits derivable from adoption of
below provides a brief summary of these endowments in
energy efficiency and conservation measures by various
Nigeria. The table contains recent estimates of other
economic sectors remain largely untapped due largely to lack
renewable potentials apart from hydropower [12].
of awareness of the economic and social benefits of energy
efficiency measures. Nigeria has an estimated coal reserve of 2 billion metric
tonnes of which 650 million tonnes are proven reserves.
A sustainable energy system may be regarded as a cost- About 95% of Nigeria’s coal production has been consumed
efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy system locally; mainly for railway transportation, electricity
that effectively utilizes local resources and networks. It is not production and industrial heating in cement production. Apart
‘slow and inert’ like a conventional energy system, but it is from the export potential of the Nigerian gas, local demand
flexible in terms of new techno-economic and political opportunities are power generation, cement industry, iron and
solutions. The introduction of new solutions is also actively steel plants. The largest single consumer of natural gas in
promoted [9]. Nigeria is Power Holding Company of Nigeria Plc(PHCN)
The processes of extraction, conversion and utilization of and it accounts for about 70% gas consumed to operate
energy are prone to wastages. The consequence of such electricity generating gas plants in the country. The
wastage include: environmental degradation, faster depletion consumption rate of petroleum product in Nigeria has
of energy resources, and increased cost of energy products and increased tremendously in 1990- 2004 with motor gasoline
services. The concept of sustainable development therefore and diesel oil taking a significant lead. The consumption of
dictates that deliberate effort is made to promote efficiency in petroleum products stood between 80% and 90% of the total
the production, conversion and utilization of energy. Energy commercial energy consumption over 35 years. The growth
resources and their utilization intimately relate to sustainable rate over the period averaged about 22 % with gasoline 28%,
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kerosene 19% and diesel 18%. Gasoline and diesel are mainly reserves, by the next forty years, will be depleted to the point
used for transportation which accounts for 87% [13]. where it would be uneconomical to continue exploration. It
becomes imperatives, therefore, that we start implementing
Despite the ample coal, oil and natural gas reserves, at the energy conservation and efficiency measures in conversion
present rate of extraction, it has been estimated that, these systems while looking for alternative source of energy [14].
TABLE 1 NIGERIA’S ENERGY RESERVES AND POTENTIALS (2005)
Resources Type Reserves Reserves (BTOE)1
Crude Oil 36.0 billion barrels 4.896
Natural Gas 166 Trillion SCF(2) 4.465
Coal & Lignite 2.7 billion tonnes 1.882
Tar Sands 31 billion barrel of Oil equivalent 4.216
Sub – Total Fossil 15.459
Hydropower, Large Scale 10,000 MW
Hydropower, Small Scale 734 MW
Fuelwood 13,071,464 Hectares(3)
Animal Waste 61 million tonnes/yr
Crop Residue 8.3 million tonnes/yr
Solar Radiation 3.5 – 7.0 KWh/m2 - day
Wind 2 – 4 m/s (annual average)
Source: Ref 12
(1). BTOE: Billion Tonnes of Oil Equivalent (2). SCF Standard Cubic Feet (3). Forest Land Estimate for 1981
study reveals that the sector had the highest percentage of

A. Energy Crises in Nigeria system losses at 33-41 percent, the lowest generating capacity
Throughout the world electricity is the most widely used factor 20 percent, the lowest average revenue at US$ 1.56kWh,
and desirable form of energy. It is a basic requirement for the lowest rate of return at 8 per cent, and the longest average
economic development and for an adequate standard of living. accounts receivable period of 15 months.
As a country‘s population grows and its economy expands its There is no doubt that expensive and unreliable power
demand for electrical energy multiplies. If this demand is not remains a major concern to all sectors of the economy in
met adequately a shortage in supply occurs. This shortage can Nigeria: the industrial, commercial, and domestic sectors
assume crisis proportions [15]. According to Chigbue [16], especially. Multiple and unpredictable power cuts, which have
electric power as a major component in the requirements for become a daily occurrence in Nigeria, often result in
effective industrialization and development is grossly equipment malfunctioning, which make it difficult to produce
inadequate in Nigeria. goods and provide service efficiently. As a result of this
For many years now, Nigeria has been facing an extreme fundamental problem, industrial enterprises have been
compelled to install their own electricity generation and
electricity shortage. This deficiency is multi- faceted, with
transmission equipment, thereby adding considerably to their
causes that are financial, structural, and socio-political, none operating and capital costs [21].
of which are mutually exclusive [17]. At present, the power
industry in Nigeria is beset by major difficulties in the core Most businesses in Nigeria, large and small, end up relying
areas of operation: generation, transmission, distribution and on the generator for electricity to power their businesses.
marketing [18]. MTN – the South African mobile phone company and the
largest mobile phone supplier in Nigeria – is estimated to have
In spite of Nigeria’s huge resource endowment in energy installed 6,000 generators to supply its base stations for up to
and enormous investment in the provision of energy 19 hours a day. The company spends $5.5 million on diesel
infrastructure, the performance of the power sector has fuel to run the generators [21].
remained poor, in comparison with other developing
economies [19]. This assertion was confirmed by a World B. Trends in Demand for Energy in Nigeria
Bank [20] assessment study conducted on energy development There is an increasing demand for fuel energy due to the
in Nigeria, which compared the performance of Nigeria’s increase in economic development and civilization all over the
power sector with those of 20 other developing countries. The world. Industry is one of the most important energy
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consuming sectors in the world. According to Mitchel [22], Planning (WASP) package (Table 2), it can be said that the
energy is essential to our way of life. It provides us with energy demand of Nigeria will be approximately 2.5, 3, 3.5
comfort, transportation, and the ability to produce food and and 4.5 folds between the years 2000 and 2015 and
material goods. approximately 8, 13, 17 and 22.5 folds between the years 2000
and 2030 based on 7% (reference), 10% (high growth), 11.5%
Based on the models developed by Energy Commission of (optimistic) and 13% (optimistic) GDP growth rate per annum,
Nigeria (ECN) to analyze the country’s energy sector for the respectively. This increase in demand for energy is due to the
period from 2000-2030 with the use of Model for Analysis of high level of economic activities expected in Nigeria as
Energy Demand (MAED) and Wien Automatic System measured by the total GDP.
TABLE II TOTAL PROJECTED ENERGY DEMAND (MTOE)
Scenario 2000 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Reference (7%) 32.01 51.40 79.36 118.14 169.18 245.19

High growth (10%) 32.01 56.18 94.18 190.73 259.19 414.52
Optimistic (11.5%) 32.01 56.18 108.57 245.97 331.32 553.26
Optimistic (13%) 32.01 72.81 148.97 312.61 429.11 715.70
Ref. 23
TABLE III TOTAL ENERGY DEMAND BASED ON GDP GROWTH RATE (MTOE)
Item 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 Average growth rate(%)
Industry 8.08 12.59 26.03 39.47 92.34 145.21 16.2

Transport 11.70 13.48 16.59 19.70 26.53 33.36 4.7
Household 18.82 22.42 28.01 33.60 33.94 34.27 2.6
Services 6.43 8.38 12.14 15.89 26.95 38.00 8.7
Total 45.01 56.87 82.77 108.66 179.75 250.84 8.3
Ref. 23
The trends of projected energy demand are shown in Fig.1. In 2007, the total primary energy consumed was 11.4
In 2005, the total energy demand based on 10% GDP growth million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe) with petroleum
rate revealed that household segment had the largest share of products having the largest share of 67.3% of the total
all the sectors. The sectoral energy demands in the 2030 plan consumption amounting to a total average consumption of
period however, showed the highest growth rates for the 78.7% between 2002 and 2007. This level of consumption was
industrial, followed by the services, household and transport followed by that of hydropower at 23.9%, natural gas at 8.7%
sectors in that order (Table 3). The electricity demand and coal at 0.05% with their respective total average
extracted from the total energy demand, shows an increasing consumption standing at 16.08, 5.17 and 0.04% for the 2002-
trend from the base year 2005-2030 on the four adopted 2007 periods as shown in Table 4. Flaring, adversely reduced
growth scenarios respectively as shown in Fig. 2, indicating a
high economic growth rate leading to a substantial increase in the maximum contribution of natural gas to the total energy
electricity demand. The energy consumed over the years consumption mix in spite of its huge deposit in the country
shows a decreasing trend with increasing population, because most of the oil fields lack appropriate infrastructure
necessitating a corresponding increase in energy output. for gas production and the general Niger Delta security issue
Hence, the country’s large energy efficiency potential needs to (bunkering, sabotage etc.) have also weakened most of the oil
be exploited. and gas projects [25].
Fig. 1 Graph showing the projected electricity Fig. 2 Graph showing the projected electricity
demand between 2000 – 2030 demand between 2005 -2030
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TABLE IV COMMERCIAL PRIMARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY TYPE (AVERGY % OF TOTAL)
Type 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Average
Coal 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.04

Hydro 11.93 14.20 17.39 12.04 17.03 23.90 16.08
Natural Gas 2.84 1.9 4.54 5.5 7.52 8.73 5.17
Petroleum Products 85.20 83.87 78.04 82.45 75.44 67.32 78.71
Ref. 26 & 27
As the country’s population grows and its economy However, the electric power capacity demand by projection in
expands its demand for electrical energy multiplies. If this Nigeria would be approximately three-half fold between 2010
demand is not met, adequately a shortage in supply occurs. and 2020 and seven-half fold between 2010 and 2030,
This shortage can assume crisis proportions [25]. respectively at 7% growth rate while the projected supply by
According to Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), fuel mix shows a similar trend with the demand at both the 7
the existing generation in 2009 was put at a total installed and 13% growth rates (Table 5). This shows a wide disparity
capacity of 8702 MW (77.73% thermal and 22.27 % hydro), in the energy demand to supply in the country both in the
available capacity of 4825 MW (72.93% thermal and 27.07% present and the future. This necessitates an urgent need for
hydro) and an operational capacity of 3149 MW (68.2% alternative energy source and efficient energy usage in order
thermal and 31.8% hydro) with an availability factor of to avert looming energy crises.
0.55MW [28].
TABLE V ELECTRIC POWER CAPACITY IN NIGERIA (SUPPLY BY FUEL MIX AND DEMAND 7 AND 13% GDP GROWTH)
Electric power demand

__________________________________________________________________________
2010 2020 2030
---------------------------------- ------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
Demand(MW%) Supply(MW%) Demand(MW%) Supply(MW%) Demand(MW%) Supply(MW%)
-------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ------------------- ------------------- ---------------
Fuel type 7 13 7 13 7 13 7 13 7 13 7 13
Coal - - 0 0 - - 6.515 16.913 - - 15.815 63.896
Gas - - 13.555 31.935 - - 37.733 78.717 - - 85.585 192.895
Hydro - - 3.702 3.902 - - 6.479 6.479 - - 11.479 11.479
Nuclear - - 0 0 - - 3.530 11.005 - - 11.872 36.891
Small hydro - - 40 208 - - 140 1.000 - - 701 2.353
Solar - - 5 30 - - 34 750 - - 302 4.610
Wind - - 0 500 - - 1.471 3.971 - - 5.369 15.567
Total 15.730 33.250 17.303 36.576 50.820 107.600 55.903 118.836 119.200 297.900 131.122 327.690
Ref. 23 & 24
These projections for continued rapid energy growth imply cheaper source of new energy supply as the cost of providing
some severe problems for the future-resource depletion, energy can be several times the cost of saving it. Increasingly
energy degradation, associated environmental problems, fuel energy efficiency is deemed to include not only the physical
shortage etc. Indeed many of these problems are already efficiency of the technical equipment and facilities but also the
happening, thus energy conservation is concerned with ways overall economic efficiency of the energy system [29].
to reduce energy demand, but yet achieve the same objective
as before. Therefore, to alleviate these problems and to sustain Energy efficiency means improvement in practices and
available energy resources in Nigeria, implementation of products that reduce the energy necessary to provide services
efficient energy utilization principle and energy conservation like lighting, cooling, heating, manufacturing, cooking,
measures is the way forward. transport, entertainment etc. Energy efficiency products
essentially help to do more work with less energy [30]. Energy
III ENERGY EFFICIENCY PRACTICE IN NIGERIA efficiency is also defined as essentially using less energy to
Energy is an important production factor and therefore provide the same service [31]. In this sense, energy efficiency
should be managed in parallel with land, labor and capital. can also be thought of as a supply resource – often considered
Energy efficient production should be seen as a quick and an important, cost effective near – to midterm supply option.
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Investment in energy efficiency can provide additional energy future, Administration policy should encourage
economic value by preserving the resource base (especially investments in energy efficiency and fuel flexibility in key
combined with pollution prevention technologies) mitigating economic sectors. By focusing on market barriers that inhibit
environmental problems. economic investments in efficient technologies and practices,
the energy efficiency program would help market forces
On the other hand energy conservation defined as “an continually improve the efficiency of our homes, our
attempt to reduce the amount of energy used for domestic and transportation systems, our offices, and our factories.
industrial purposes” is obviously synonymous with energy
efficiency. It has been described as using energy more A. Energy Efficiency Policy in Nigeria
efficiently, whether through behavior, improved management The national Energy Policy and the draft energy
or the introduction of new technology [32]. Energy masterplan contain basic policies and strategies for energy
conservation is further defined as “ the strategy of adjusting efficiency and conservation in Nigeria. In specific terms the
and optimizing energy using systems and procedures so as to policy provides for:
reduce energy requirements per unit of output (or wellbeing)
while holding constant or reducing total costs of providing the • The promotion of energy efficiency and conservation
output from these systems” [29]. It has sometimes been in industrial, residential and transport sectors.
associated with efforts to curtail energy use at the cost of • Designing a National Programme on Industrial
economic activity and living standards, but it should be Energy Efficiency and Conservation in collaboration
concerned exclusively with energy conservation as a means of with MAN and experts in higher institutions and
increasing economic benefits. It can be seen from the various research centres.
definitions and explanations that energy efficiency and energy • Introduction of fuel efficiency labelling programme
conservation convey the same meaning and can be used in the transportation sector for various vehicle types
interchangeably. The basic objective is the same - the • Establishing Codes and Standards for energy
reductions of energy costs or increase in energy supply. efficiency and conservation technologies.
Energy efficiency has become the key driver of sustainable • Enforcing the Codes and Standards.
development in many economies in the world [33]. Improving This policy is only on paper but never implemented so as
energy efficiency, i.e. obtaining more final energy services to promote practice of energy efficiency and energy
from less energy – is the surest and most direct way of conservation principle in the country.
increasing sustainability of the use of energy resources and
decreasing the negative aspects – environmental pollution and B. Inefficient Utilization of Energy in Nigeria
financial costs – associated with using energy and producing Energy efficiency does not mean that we should not use
goods. The economic potential of even more efficient energy energy, but we should use energy in a manner that will
use will continue to grow with new technologies and with cost minimize the amount of energy needed to provide services.
reduction resulting from the economy of scale. This is possible if we improve in practices and products that
Presently, energy utilization in Nigeria is far from being we use. Energy is used wastefully in virtually all sectors in
efficient. Apart from the direct loss due to energy wasted, Nigeria. Excessive waste is a sign of an unsustainable
using energy inefficiently has three major implications in technology. In Nigeria a lot of energy is wasted because
Nigeria. These are: households, public and private offices and industries use more
energy than is actually necessary to fulfil their needs. One of
a) The investment in some energy supply infrastructure is the reasons is that they use old and inefficient equipment and
far in excess of what the energy demand is; production processes. The other reasons are unwholesome
b) The environmental problems associated with energy practices that lead to energy wastage. These are discussed in
utilization are more aggravated due to large energy this section.
consumption; 1) Use of Inefficient Traditional Three Stone Fuel Wood
c) Excessive energy consumption adds to the costs of Stoves:
goods produced especially in energy intensive industries like For most Nigerians, cooking is the most important energy
cement, steel works and refineries. need. Fuel wood was found to be the predominant energy
If we use energy efficiently, it will help to reduce the source in the household sector with about 70-80% of
building of more power stations, thus the money for building households depending on it as their cooking fuel in both the
power stations will then be spent on other sectors of the remote villages and the towns with the use of inefficient earth
economy. More also, more people will have access to energy; stove (traditional three stone stoves) with efficiencies of
if we save energy in one part of the country, the energy saved between 5 to 12%. The consequences of this to the natural
can be made available in another part. In Nigeria, where the environment are that unchecked felling of trees to provide the
utility companies do not have enough energy to meet the fuel wood requirements will exacerbate desert encroachment,
needs of everybody at the same time, energy supply is soil erosion and loss of soil fertility problems.
alternated. With good energy management at the residential, 2) Use of Vehicles with Low Fuel Efficiency:
public and private sector, there will be no need to alternate
In Nigeria, nearly all vehicles are imported from overseas,
electricity supply.
often used cars and trucks. Fuel efficiency is low because the
Increased energy efficiency would provide this country vehicle fleet is old and poorly maintained, because of traffic
with significant economic, environmental, and security congestion in most urban centres, and because of bad driving
benefits. To make further progress toward a sustainable habits. Energy savings of 30 percent could be achieved in the
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road subsector by shifting from an energy-intensive transport respiratory illness, asthma and cancer. Households that rely on
mode to a less energy-intensive public transport system and by traditional livelihoods such as fishing and crop production
adopting traffic management schemes. have suffered due to negative impacts on fish and vegetation.
3) Dominant Use of Incandescent Light Bulbs: C. Barriers to Energy Efficiency Development in Nigeria
The use of incandescent bulbs for lighting is energy The major barriers militating against the adoption of more
intensive. Only about 5% of total energy used by an energy efficient practices in Nigerian can be dignified as
incandescent bulb is converted to light energy, the remaining follows:
95% is converted to heat energy. A major factor working
against the shift from incandescent bulbs to energy saving • Policy Barriers: Policies to encourage, promote and
bulbs is the cost. Energy saving bulbs are far more expensive incentivise energy efficiency are absent;
than incandescent bulbs. The cost of energy saving bulb in the • Regulatory Barriers: There are no codes and
Nigerian market ranges between N800 to N1000. However, regulations to groom energy efficiency programs;
some substandard energy saving bulbs could be purchase for • Lack of Adequate Institutional Frameworks:
about N200. On the other hand, the prices of incandescent There is no agency for formulating, coordinating,
bulbs range from N30 to N100. Energy consumed in Nigeria implementing, and monitoring energy conservation
can be drastically reduced if Nigerians replace their policies and programs;
incandescent bulbs with energy efficiency bulbs. • Lack of Information:
4) Indiscriminate Use of Electricity among Urban Dwellers The general public is not aware of the benefits of energy
in Nigeria: efficiency;
In many major cities in Nigeria, indiscriminate use of There is no database of energy use in the sectors of the
electricity for different purposes is common. These include economy;
putting on light to advertise goods in the day time, switching
on outdoor lighting during the day, building of industries in • Lack of Local Manufacturing Base: The level of
residential areas, proliferation of private water boreholes, local manufacturing is very low and most equipment/
setting appliances on standby mode, simultaneous use of appliances are imported;
multiple appliances in public buildings, leaving appliance on • Financial Barriers: Funds are not available to
when not in use, multiple use of inefficient heating equipment finance energy efficiency projects;
for cooking and heating water in the residential and • Capacity Barriers: Trained manpower to evaluate,
commercial buildings etc. All these practices encourage the certify, implement and enforce energy efficiency
wastage of electricity and bring about inefficient utilization of measures is grossly inadequate;
energy.
• Inefficient Energy Pricing Policies:
5) Purchase of Second-hand Appliances: Electricity tariffs and prices for petroleum products are
The Nigerian market is flooded with all kinds of second- highly subsidized;
hand appliances. Over 90% of Nigerian use one second-hand Subsidy discourages energy efficiency practice
product or the other. They are cheaper compared to the new
ones. Many Nigerians are on the opinion that second-hand D. Promoting Energy Efficiency in Nigeria
products are more durable than the new ones. This assertion In Nigeria since 2003, the Energy Commission of Nigeria
could be based on the fact that there are a lot of substandard in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial
goods in the market and the second-hand goods tend to last Development Organization and other stakeholders has made
longer than them. Many of the second-hand products come steady progress in awareness creation in the area of energy
from European and North American countries and they may efficiency programs. Train-the-trainers energy audit
have been manufactured long time ago. The efficiency of workshops were organized in 2003/2004 with experts drawn
these products is quite doubtful and the possibility exists that from UNIDO Vienna and ADEME in addition to energy audit
they may have been rejected by the former users to purchase walk-through of many key industries. Several national and
more recent and efficient appliances. The second hand market international energy efficiency workshops have been
needs to be further studied to direct policy that will address conducted by the commission. In pursuance of its mandate,
the situation. the Energy Commission of Nigeria has produced an energy
master plan with energy efficiency at the centre of its
6) Gas Flaring: activities. To give effect to the urgent need for energy
Gas flaring also has significant negative impacts on the efficiency programs in Nigeria and to accelerate
environment, not least due to its climate change impacts. implementation programs, a national center for energy
Associated gas has been flared since the start of oil production efficiency was recently established by the commission at the
in the Niger Delta. Nigeria flares about 2.5 billion cubic feet University of Lagos Nigeria. Activities in the area of energy
(over 70 million m3) of gas per day. In other words, 40 percent efficiency rose to a high in 2009 when the Commission in
collaboration with the Cuban government embarked upon the
of its annual gas production accounts for 12.5 percent of all
replacement of highly inefficient incandescent light bulbs with
globally flared gas). This amounts to about 70 million tonnes compact fluorescent lamps at the domestic level in different
of carbon dioxide [34]. Apart from causing a direct loss in parts of the country. The program which is still on-going has
energy sector, gas flares have detrimental effects on the been followed by massive national energy efficiency
environment. It releases toxic substances, including benzene awareness campaign workshops and energy audit walk
and particulates, which damage the human immune system through covering public buildings, various types of industry-
and increase the acidity of rain. Health risks include child petroleum, petrochemical, aspects of industry operations and
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the domestic sector. Energy conservation is vital for sustainable development,
and for the best benefit of the present and future generations it
The overall aim of the workshops has been to raise should be implemented by all possible means. A secure supply
national awareness on industrial, institutional and household of energy resources is generally agreed to be a necessary but
energy savings potentials in meeting national energy demand not sufficient requirement for development within a society.
in Nigeria. Furthermore, sustainable development demands a sustainable
Based on the benefits of implementation of energy supply of energy resources that, in the long term, is readily
efficiency, there is need to promote energy efficiency in and sustainably available at reasonable cost and can be
Nigeria. Not only are there many ways to use energy much utilized for all required tasks without causing negative societal
more efficiently, there are also many ways to promote this impacts. Supplies of such energy resources as fossil fuels
strategy, including (1) education, (2) taxes on fossil fuels, (3) (coal, oil, and natural gas) and uranium are generally
feebate systems (which levy a tax on those who choose acknowledged to be finite; other energy sources such as
energy-inefficient options and give rebates to those who opt sunlight, wind, and falling water are generally considered
for energy-efficient technologies), (4) government-mandated renewable and therefore sustainable over the relatively long
and implemented the existing energy efficiency programs, (5) term.
voluntary programs, (6) changes in pricing, and (7) least-cost Taking into consideration the importance of energy
planning. conservation, the relation between energy conservation and
Promotion of energy conservation and efficiency is sustainability is presented in Fig. 3 . From Fig. 3, it is shown
important in all sectors in order to save energy, money and that energy resources and their utilization are intimately
protect the environment. related to sustainable development. For societies to attain or
try to attain sustainable development, much effort must be
IV. ENERGY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE devoted not only to discovering sustainable energy resources,
DEVELOPMENT but also to increasing the energy efficiencies of processes
Energy conservation is a tangible resource by itself that utilizing these resources.
competes economically with contemporary energy supply Many energy conservation and efficiency improvement
options. In addition to this, it offers a practical means of programs have been and are being developed to reduce the
achieving four (4) goals that should be of high priority in any present levels of energy consumption. To implement these
nation that desires quick and sustainable economic growth and programs in a beneficial manner, an understanding is required
development [35]. These are economic competitiveness, of the patterns of “energy carrier” consumption, such as the
utilization of scarce capital for development, environmental type of energy carrier used, factors that influence consumption,
quality, and energy security. It enhances international and types of end-uses [36].
competitiveness of industry in world markets by reducing the
cost of production. It optimizes use of capital resources by In spite of the potentially significant benefits of energy
directing lesser amounts of money in conservation investment conservation program to the economy and their proven
as against capital-intensive energy supply options. It protects successes in several countries, conservation programs have
the environment in the short run by reducing pollution and in not yet been undertaken on a significant scale in Nigeria.
the long run by reducing the scope of global climate change. It Some reasons for this lack of energy conservation programs
strengthens security of supply through lesser demand and relate to the following factors:
lesser dependence on petroleum products imports. No energy
supply option may be able to provide all these benefits. • Technical (e.g., lack of availability, reliability, and
Energy conservation is a decentralized issue and largely knowledge of efficient technologies)
dependent on the individual, unlike decisions of energy supply • Institutional (e.g., lack of appropriate technical input,
which are highly centralized. The housewife, the car driver, financial support, and proper program design and
the house developer, the house owner, the boiler operator in monitoring expertise)
industry, and every other individual who consumes energy in • Financial (e.g., lack of explicit financing mechanisms)
some form or the other are required to participate in energy • Managerial (e.g., inappropriate program management
saving measures. It calls for a collective endeavour, in that it practices and staff training)
stems from the actions of people in diverse fields although the
people involved may not be sufficiently informed or
motivated to conserve energy.
Fig. 3 Linkages between energy conservation and sustainable development
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daylighting, and maximum indoor space cooling, this would
A. Opportunities for Energy Conservation in Various Sectors reduce the time of need of electrical energy for both lighting
The need for energy is increasing and outstripping its and cooling devices. Consequently, this will promote energy
supply in Nigeria. Therefore, and in view of these conservation. Apart from the building envelope, a lot of
circumstances primary energy conservation, rationalization opportunities also exist for energy conservation in the lighting
and efficient use is an immediate need. Getting all the possible and cooling devices sub-sectors. For instance, due to the high
energy from the fuel into the working fluid is the goal of first-cost of fluorescent bulbs, incandescent bulbs (40 Watts
efficient equipment operations. This saves money, produces and 60 Watts rating) are still the pre-dominant electric lighting
higher productivity and not only this, it also influences the device in the country. Hence, approximately 34.3% of total
safety and life of the equipment and reduces pollution [37]. electricity use in urban households goes to lighting [40] . The
Steps taken to minimize energy consumption, or to use the tropical climate of Nigeria definitely makes spacecooling an
energy more effectively, are steps in the right direction to essential energy service. This is provided by electric fans and
preserve the global environment. Energy conservation air conditioners. Fans have a much higher market share than
measures or recommendations are often referred more air conditioners in Nigerian households because of their lower
positively as opportunities. Two primary criteria for energy investment costs and lower electricity consumption. A study
conservation opportunities are that it be easy to implement and [40] has revealed that electricity consumption by fan cooling
that its payback be short. Ease of implementation and payback ranges between 2% and 8% while the total average
period has been used to classify Energy conservation consumption is 7% of the total household electricity
opportunities into 3 general categories: maintenance and consumption in the various household income groups in the
operation measures, process improvement projects, and large country. Similarly, the percentage share of electricity
capital projects [38]. consumption by air conditioners to the total household
electricity consumption ranges between 0% and 2% with a
Although energy conservation and efficiency are not total average of 1.5%. Resulting from the downturn in
resource per se, it is acknowledged that their adoption in the economy in the past two decades, the Nigerian market has
country can significantly mitigate the supply challenge. It is in become a dumping ground for second hand products from
recognition of this that the Federal Government of Nigeria abroad. Definitely, due to overuse before shipment, the
recently approved the establishment of a National Centre for efficiencies of these products have dropped. These
Energy Efficiency and Conservation [39]. The Centre is consequently promote energy inefficiency in our buildings. If
charged with the responsibility for organizing and conducting better energy efficient lighting devices such as the compact
research and development in energy efficiency and fluorescent lamps (CFL) as well as better energy efficient
conservation. In this regard, the Centre is to carry out the cooling devices – fans and air conditioners were promoted in
following functions: the country, these would help in reducing both electric
(i) Develop guidelines for energy efficient end-use lighting and cooling energy. Putting all these energy savings
products and advise on their implementation; opportunities in the residential buildings alone together, it is
estimated that at least 10% of total residential electrical energy
(ii) Develop energy efficiency codes, standards and use will be conserved. Similarly, about 10% of both total
specifications for domestic, industrial and commercial industrial and commercial sectors’ electricity demand could
facilities; also be saved. Ultimately, these would lead to a reduction in
(iii) Gather, analyze and manage energy supply and greenhouse gases emissions in the country.
consumption data and information; 2) Opportunities for Energy Conservation in Industries:
(iv) Serve as a Centre for training of high level manpower Electricity from Power Holding Company Nigeria Plc
in energy efficiency and conservation; (PHCN) dominates the energy supply for the industrial sector
(v) Develop and execute pilot/demonstration project in Nigeria. This is supplemented by electricity generating sets
highlighting energy efficiency concepts; that are fuelled by automotive gas oil (diesel). High and low
pour fuel oils are used in textile, cement and brick
(vi) Disseminate information on energy efficiency and manufacturing plants. The foregoing is for large industries
conservation concepts through public awareness programmes which are mostly located in the big cities and towns.For the
such as seminars, workshops, publications, etc; small towns and villages, the bulk of the small-scale industries
are operated on diesel generators for bakeries, small-scale
(vii) Perform any other functions, as may be directed by steel works, small-scale ceramic/pottery works etc.
the Federal Government in relation to energy efficiency and
conservation in Nigeria. The industrial sector is extremely diverse and includes a
wide range of activities. This sector is particularly energy
In Nigeria energy is used so inefficiently, huge cuts in intensive, as it requires energy to extract natural resources,
energy demand can be made by applying appropriate
convert them into raw materials, and manufacture finished
efficiency and conservation measures. This should not affect products. The industrial sector can be broadly defined as
the level of services we receive. Much of our future energy
consisting of energy-intensive industries (e.g., iron and steel,
demand can be met by freeing up energy currently wasted in chemicals, petroleum refining, cement, aluminium, pulp and
three major economic sectors: transportation, buildings
paper etc) and light industries (e.g., food processing, textiles,
(residential and offices), and manufacturing /industrial set up. wood products, printing and publishing, metal processing etc)
1) Opportunities for Energy Conservation in Buildings: [41] .
If the building envelope and building materials were Strictly speaking, two forms of energy carriers are
adequately taken care of to allow for a longer time period for commonly used in the industry: electricity and heat. However,
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among all the energy forms, electricity is the most widely Nigeria which is indeed a sad commentary of the electricity
deployed in the industry for the transformation of raw supply situation in the country. In terms of energy efficiency,
materials into the desired end products. Electricity the compounding wastes along the energy supply line are
consumption in the industry is usually for lighting and motor better imagined.
power-drives of various kinds of equipment, such as pumps,
The scenario in the bottling company in relation to energy
fans, compressors, blowers, conveyors, air conditioners and
various machine tools. It is also used in electric furnaces and efficiency is that, a 10 bar, 2 metric ton per hour capacity, low
pour fuel oil fired steam boiler, produces steam at a pressure
electrolysis. Improvement in the efficiency of electric motors
in particular can result into large energy and cost savings. On of 4-5 bar (about 140oC-150oC) use in bottle washing that
the other hand, thermal energy is mostly used in boilers for requires hot water at temperature of about 80oC-90oC. It was
process steam generation and in kilns such as in cement observed that the steam produced at a high temperature of
production [29]. about 140oC has to be throttled to reduce the temperature to
the required level for bottle washing. Ironically the runoff
In Nigeria, energy savings opportunities in the industrial water from the final washing stage comes out at a temperature
sub-sector of the economy have remained a matter for of 60-70oC and is emptied into the drain. While this practice is
speculation over the years due to uncoordinated efforts considered proper from point of view of avoidance of
addressing issues relating to energy efficiency and contamination, it is suggested that a low pressure steam boiler
management. It is in the bid to create necessary awareness on operated at 2 bars can meet the steam requirement and thus
the huge potentials for energy savings in the sector that save thermal energy.
Energy Commission of Nigeria in collaboration with UNIDO
and other stakeholders have for some time now engaged Furthermore in the compressed air unit, the water-cooled
themselves in industrial energy efficiency programs in Nigeria. single stage compressor delivers at a temperature of about
80oC while the cooling water comes off at 60oC and is again
Studies indicate that good housekeeping measures can let off the drain. Opportunity for energy efficiency here is that
save substantial amounts of energy in Nigerian industries. the heat of the air compression can be recovered to heat the
Potential energy savings in national industries range from 15– boiler feed water and this may result to about 5% energy
32 percent by 2020 [42]. Results from energy audits in Nigeria savings.
(of two cement plants, one steel plant, and a furniture
manufacturing plant) show potential savings of up to 25 Chemical Industry: In this industry the source of
percent [42]. Investigation carried out recently in some electricity used in this factory includes: a 1,250KVA gas
industries in Nigeria reveals areas of energy conservation generator that runs for 24hrs except when it is under
(savings) in Nigerian industries. maintenance, a 1000KVA diesel generator is used to support
the main generator during repairs, also a 153KVA diesel
Below are highlights of walk-through energy audits of generator used to run the factory when there are no activities,
some industries in Nigeria. a 500KVA transformer connected to PHCN to generate
electricity. Walk-through energy audit carried out in this
Food Industries: Study on pattern of electrical energy industry reveals the following areas of energy savings
consumption from 210 selected micro and small-scale food
opportunities: replacement of high capacity generators with
and beverage companies in Nigeria was carried out by [43]. smaller capacity generator for load shedding as this will
The study showed that the pattern of electrical energy
minimize energy wastage. A lot of energy is wasted as the
consumption in the food companies was mainly from high capacity generators are not fully utilized; replacement of
generating set; this was due to either low voltage or epileptic
the large number of high pressure sodium bulbs with energy
power supply from national grid. Direct and indirect sources efficient CFLs; replacement (especially large) of standard
that lead to electrical energy waste and in-efficient energy
electric motors with high efficiency types (especially in the
utilization in the industry were identified as energy loss as a mill-hopper section); Installation of heat-reclamation
result of worn out or slack / misaligned belts that need timely
equipment – economizers and air heaters for flue gas and heat
replacement or tensioning, training and retraining of staff, exchangers / heat pumps for boiler blow down.
power factor of electrical equipment among others. Three out
of eleven strategies were effective in reducing the companies’ In the beer manufacturing company: the investigation
electricity bill by 3% for the same quantity of production. reveals the following areas of energy savings opportunities: In
These include: switching off most lighting during day time; the De-aerator – copious amount of steam loss from the
instant replacement / tensioning of worn out / slack belts or deaerator by deliberate action of operators; steam line
chains and; disconnection of all faulty equipment. This finding leakages from loose joints and holes along the piping network;
shows that 72.8% of all the acclaimed strategies to reduce the Wort Kettle- Loss of latent heat in the evaporation of
energy consumption were not effective. The study concluded water from the kettle; exposed steam lines- Radiation loss
that the factors constituted electrical energy waste and energy from un-insulated parts; boiler fuel-not sufficiently atomized
use inefficiency in the food companies in the study area were for efficient combustion; boiler which is oversized and which
very identical and recommendations for effective energy use operates on part load most of the time; cooling Tower- treated
efficiency in the firms were proposed. water allowed to over flow and thick ice formation along NH3
pipeline; brine motor pump-Use of constant speed motor drive
In the bottling company: in this industry, it was observed which run continuously even at no load; large quantity of
that the electricity supply is 100% from 3No 800kVA diesel
water waste at the bottle cleaning section; boiler TDS not
generators while thermal energy for the boiler is from low monitored, feed water make up not measured and condensate
pour fuel oil (LPFO). Two out of the three diesel generators
not recovered; generator frequency low at 47Hz and power
are run at a time (24hrs/day) and the other stays on standby. factor low at times.
To say the least, this scenario is replicate of most industries in
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3) Opportunities for Energy Conservation in Transport Sector: and readily accessible, however, their use without causing
The transport sector is the third largest consumer of energy glare and overheating can be difficult. Glare can be avoided
after the industrial sector. The share of energy consumption by using window sills, louvers, reflective blinds and other
from transport sector varied from about 13% to about 18% devices to reflect light deep into the buildings. Thus windows
from 1996 to 2005 [44]. In terms of consumption of petroleum with selective glazing that transmit the most visible light while
products it is by far the largest consumer sector, and is reducing solar heat should be favoured. Considerable saving
therefore the sector with the highest impact in terms of foreign potentials for energy in Nigerian office and residential
exchange costs. Thus, energy saving in this sector is of high buildings is possible through cost effective building design.
priority particularly in financial and economic terms. Lighting: Possible energy conservation measures through
In Nigeria, many factors are responsible for high lighting in offices, homes, commercial centers and industries
consumption of energy (fuel) in transport sector. Some of in Nigeria include: (1) relamping: relamping means
these factors are: owing of fleet of vehicles by the rich people substituting one lamp for another to save energy. New fixtures
and government officers (political leaders); purchasing of are available which produces superior energy savings,
second hand (‘Tokunbo’) vehicles; use of inefficient and reliability and longevity compared with incandescent lamps.
uneconomic vehicles; use of vehicle with old engine; bad road Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are generally considered
network etc. best for replacement of lower incandescent lamps at homes,
offices, commercial and industrial outfits. These lamps have
To reduce energy consumption and green house gas efficacy ranging from 55-65 lumens Watt-1. The average rated
emissions, the Government has to implement the following lamp life is 10.000 h, which is 10 times longer than that of a
recommendations: normal incandescent. They offer excellent colour rendering
properties in addition to the very high luminous efficiency.
• Introduce mass transport services as operate in some
Also, they offer energy savings potential; (2) installing
cities in the country: shift road freight to rail and lighting control systems, in bathrooms, stores and bedrooms:
from small vehicles to large vehicles. lighting controls are devices for turning lights on and off or
• Promote the use of non-motorised transport (bicycles for dimming them. There is the need to install lighting control
and pedestrian) for short distance. systems such as photocells, timers, occupancy sensors and
• Promote availability of spare parts for maintaining dimmers in bathrooms, stores, bedrooms and other not
efficient operation. frequently used areas. This is to avoid wastage of energy in
• Continuing improvement of road network: continued these areas; (3) street light control: street lighting accounts for
efforts should be made to upgrade the road network more than 50% of all electricity consumed in Nigeria. Of this
particularly between the secondary towns, as this not value about 50% or more of the energy is wasted by obsolete
only improves socioeconomic activity, but also equipment, inadequate maintenance, or inefficient use. Saving
reduces energy demand. lighting energy requires either reducing electricity consumed
• Decentralise industrial development: industrial by the light source or reducing the length of time.
investment should be encouraged by fiscal measures Energy conservation measures in manufacturing and
and following the pattern of secondary town industrial processes: Three prominent broad areas had been
development to avoid creating centralised industrial identified for energy conservation measures in manufacturing
conurbation far from the location of the labour force, and industrial processes in Nigeria. These include: (1)
with resultant high transport requirements. improved housekeeping: improved house keeping with such
• Facilitate for railway rehabilitation: High priority factors as furnace maintenance, adjustment of lighting system
should continue to be given to the restoration of the operations, use of daylight, improving space conditions for
railway and the use of its terminal as an inland port lighting and improving lamp and fixture efficiency are
for urban areas in Nigeria. quantifiable measures of energy conservation; (2) recovery of
• Shift freight transport from road to rail, and from waste: this forms significant savings in energy through
using small vehicles to large ones. recovery of waste heat - flue gas, exhaust steam, co-generation
of electricity etc. Heat reclamation is the recovery and
• Standardise imported vehicles with respect to energy
utilization of energy that is otherwise wasted, which can be a
efficiency and environmental safety.
substitute for a portion of the new energy that would normally
be required for heating cooling and domestic hot water system.
B. Energy Conservation Measures in Nigeria Economic
Heat recovery conserves fuels, reduces operating costs and
Sectors
reduces peak loads; (3) technological innovation: this border
Energy conservation measure in office and residential on major redesign of processes and products to yield greater
buildings: Possible energy conservation measures in office efficiency of cycle operations.
and residential buildings include: (1) proper building
orientation and symmetry. Building design should permit most Energy conservation measures in transportation:
of the spaces to be day lighted. Using day lighting reduces Possible energy conservation measures in transportation in
energy consumption by replacing electric lights with natural Nigeria include: (1) increasing the efficiency of the vehicle
light. Buildings designed for day lighting typically use 40-60% system through proper vehicle maintenance for better engine
less electricity for lighting needs than do conventional performance (2) rationing: techniques used in rationing
buildings; (2) provision of enough windows for cross include restricting the uses of an item-for example, forbidding
ventilation. In very hot climates ventilation is very important. the use of gasoline to power pleasure boats; limiting the
This will go a long way in reducing the use of air conditioners number of vehicle to be owned by every citizen to one, setting
at homes and offices. Although sunlight and daylights are free a maximum amount a person can spend for fuel (petrol or
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diesel) etc. (3) improved technology through electric cars: connection with efforts to design residential and commercial
These are automobiles propelled by one or more electric buildings that will use energy more efficiently. Some of the
motors, drawing power from an onboard source of electricity most promising devices are solar collectors (which employ
(Wikipedia). Electric cars are mechanically simpler and more water heated by the Sun), solar mirrors and photovoltaic cells
durable than gasoline-powered cars, stores its energy on board， capable of directly converting the energy of sunlight into
typically in batteries, but alternatively with capacitors or electricity [46]. Improvement can be done through
flywheel storage devices. Or it may generate energy using a Government assistance by releasing funds regularly for the
fuel cell or generator; they produce less pollution than do energy research institutes in the country.
gasoline-powered cars. Energy conservation in electric cars,
however, is so important that engineers found a way to V. CONCLUSIONS
recover the heat and use it for other heating purposes; (4) Energy is an important production factor and therefore
encouraging people to use mass transport system and use of should be managed in parallel with land, labor and capital.
alternative energy source e.g., fuel- cells. Energy efficient production process should be seen as a quick
and cheaper source of new energy supply as the cost of
Energy conservation measures in household appliances: providing energy can be several times the cost of saving it.
Possible energy conservation measures in household
Increasingly energy efficiency is considered to include not
appliances in Nigeria include: (1) conserving electricity only the physical efficiency of the technical equipment and
through air conditioners: check and clean the air-conditioners
facilities but also the overall economic efficiency of the
filter once a month; make sure the air conditioning unit is the energy system. Hence the adoption of energy efficiency
proper size for the room it is cooling; locate the air conditioner
measures in the major economic sectors (household, industrial
on the north or east side of a house in a shady area; ventilate and transport) in Nigeria will enhance profitability, reduce
the house's attic to reduce heat building up; install ceiling fans
greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable development,
to improve air circulation; (2) refrigerators: check door seals
and improve corporate social responsibility. The time to begin
to make sure there are no air leaks; clean condenser coils on
aggressive campaigns for energy efficiency measures in the
the back of the refrigerator; keep refrigerator away from oven
Nigeria economy chain is long overdue.
or dishwasher and give the unit breathing room; turn
thermostat down to 2.8oC; turn on energy saver switch; (3) From the energy outlook of Nigeria as revealed in this
water heater: lower the heater setting to 49 – 54 oC; insulate study, energy utilization in Nigeria is far from efficient
the water heater and any exposed hot water pipes; use low- because: forest and woodland reserves are being depleted for
flow shower heads; (4) computers: turn off computers when heating and cooking purposes using stoves of efficiency less
not in use or set the computer to energy-saving mode; (5)cloth than 10%; oil extraction process includes a lot of waste in the
washers and dryers: use only with a full load; use warm or form of spillage resulting in serious environmental problems;
cold water, reserving hot water use only for heavily soiled continuous flaring of large volumes of natural gas in the oil
clothes; use only full loads for the dryer and if a second load is fields of the Niger Delta is worsening the energy supply
necessary, dry that load immediately after the first to retain as situation; inefficient electrical appliances (lighting,
much heat as possible; clean lint filter before each load; (6) refrigeration, air conditioning, motors, fans, etc), especially in
ovens and stove: use microwave instead of oven where the residential, commercial and industrial sectors in the face of
possible; food in glass dishes can be cooked at lower inadequate supply has aggravated the demand-supply energy
temperature; preheating oven is usually unnecessary; on the imbalance. It is very clear from this study that, energy demand
stove top cook with covered pans and match pan size to the is very high and is increasing geometrically while the supply
size of the burner. remains inadequate, insecure, and irregular and is decreasing
with the years; the mix has hitherto been dominated by fossil
Energy conservation measures in power generation sources which are fast being depleted apart from being
and distribution: This involves improvement in energy
environmentally non-friendly. The energy efficiency principle
conversion technology for better efficiency, use of thermionic, and conservation measures should be implemented and
thermoelectric in magneto-hydrodynamic generators for better
promoted in the country to checkmate this problem.
fuel saving.
Presentation on the opportunities that are available in
Energy conservation measure through research and conserving energy in our various sectors – office building and
development: The Department of Energy has responsibility residential areas, manufacturing industries, transportation,
for energy research. These programs, now distributed among a
electricity generation and distribution, electricity equipment
number of departments within the DOE, are concerned mainly and appliances has been made in this work. The various areas
with scientific and engineering research. They aim to develop
where savings in energy can be made have been identified in
better and cleaner methods for extracting and burning this study, these include: energy use in heating and ventilating
traditional fuels, such as coal and oil and also to develop new
equipments, lighting, cooking, transport, electrically operated
sources of energy, such as solar power, liquid fuels from
industrial machines and heat engines such as pumps, motors,
biomass and nuclear fusion.
fans, boiler, etc. Several guideline and measures have been
In Nigeria Demonstration plants have been funded for suggested to conserve energy in these areas and if the
technologies such as coal liquefaction and coal gasification, guidelines and measures are strictly adhered to, substantive
fluidized-bed combustion of coal [45, 46] and improvement of savings in energy will be made.
methods for extracting oil from shale. Other concepts being In order to ensure the sustainability of energy supply and
explored are the conversion of solid waste into methane gas,
subsequently of the country’s sustainable economic
the extraction of natural gas from coal seams, the use of fuel development, the government has to intensify further the
cells, magneto-hydrodynamics, wind energy and ocean
implementation of energy efficiency programme.
thermal energy. Solar power research is being pursued in
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International Journal of Energy Engineering IJEE

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Measures: Tools

Resources Type Reserves Reserves (BTOE)1

Crude Oil 36.0 billion barrels 4.896

Natural Gas 166 Trillion SCF(2) 4.465

Coal & Lignite 2.7 billion tonnes 1.882

Tar Sands 31 billion barrel of Oil equivalent 4.216

Sub – Total Fossil 15.459

Hydropower, Large Scale 10,000 MW

Hydropower, Small Scale 734 MW

Fuelwood 13,071,464 Hectares(3)

Animal Waste 61 million tonnes/yr

Crop Residue 8.3 million tonnes/yr

Solar Radiation 3.5 – 7.0 KWh/m2 - day

Wind 2 – 4 m/s (annual average)

study reveals that the sector had the highest percentage of

Scenario 2000 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Reference (7%) 32.01 51.40 79.36 118.14 169.18 245.19

Industry 8.08 12.59 26.03 39.47 92.34 145.21 16.2

Type 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Average

Coal 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.04

Electric power demand

Coal - - 0 0 - - 6.515 16.913 - - 15.815 63.896

Gas - - 13.555 31.935 - - 37.733 78.717 - - 85.585 192.895

Hydro - - 3.702 3.902 - - 6.479 6.479 - - 11.479 11.479

Nuclear - - 0 0 - - 3.530 11.005 - - 11.872 36.891

Small hydro - - 40 208 - - 140 1.000 - - 701 2.353

Solar - - 5 30 - - 34 750 - - 302 4.610

Wind - - 0 500 - - 1.471 3.971 - - 5.369 15.567

Fig. 3 Linkages between energy conservation and sustainable development

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