FG to harness solar energy for developmental purpose
A pilot programme for solar energy coverage of the country has commenced in Jigawa, Ondo and Imo states, the Minister of state for power, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulhamid, announced in Abuja.
The minister said the pilot scheme would be replicated across the country by 2020 with smaller settlements as its primary target.
Speaking when he received officials of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the minister said the federal government was committed to harnessing the nation's solar potential.
He commended JICA for developing the master plan for the solar coverage of the country with particular attention to the sustainability of the project and supply models for rural communities.
Abdulhamid said government's decision to tap the solar energy was due to its renewable form and its relative cheapness.
He said time had come for the country to seek alternative sources of power for her people in view of the problems associated with gas supply to thermal stations.
``The potentials of the solar energy are enormous as it is readily available throughout the length and breath of the country, and suitable for providing power supply to the most remote settlements in the country,'' he added.
Abdulhamid gave assurance that government would study the recommendations contained in the master plan with a view to implementing them and meeting the 2020 project target for complete coverage of the country.
Responding, JICA team leader Mitsukusa Nishikawa thanked the federal government
for the opportunity given JICA to contribute to the development process.
He expressed the hope that the Nigeria would maximise her solar energy potential.
It would be recalled that President Olusegun Obasanjo had sought the assistance of the Japanese government for the production of a master plan on the solar energy potential of the country.
The agreement was signed between both countries in April 2005, while its implementation commenced in July, leading to the production of the master plan this year.