There have been attempts by governments and researchers to provide affordable electricity for most people living in underdeveloped countries which researchers put at 1.2 billion at the moment. In accordance with a research work by Adeyemi Olusegun, a PhD student at the University of Lagos and made available to OLATUNDE DODONDAWA, stakeholders must embrace biofuel as a means of providing cheap and affordable energy.
The energy need of the world and Nigeria in particular, for transportation, electricity and cooking is daily taking upward surge with the population. Affordable energy, the goal #7 of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals is no doubt the stimulator of socio-economic development and prerequisite for general human wellbeing. It has been projected that by year 2050, nine billion people would be on the planet to double the current energy demand. At the moment 1.2 billion people (17 per cent) of the world population are without access to electricity and 3 billion people (38 per cent) are without clean cooking facilities with over 95 per cent of them either in sub-Saharan Africa or in developing Asia, while around 80 per cent are in rural areas.
Nigerians from Lekki to Boki to Kebbi are facing one form of fuel poverty or the other, that is, a situation where any individual or household spend more than 10 per cent of its annual/monthly/daily income on fuel. The citizens are not spared from any of these three fuel poverty cases (either fuel for cooking, electricity or transportation). In fact, many are being forced to share fuel for transportation with electricity due to perennial epileptic state of power supply in the country.
Researchers have identified transportation fuels as the fastest growing component of the energy sector and that it accounts for approximately 50 per cent of global crude petroleum end-product. Nigeria statistics indicated that out of the 13 million tonnes of oil products consumed in 2011, seven million tonnes served transportation fuel for gasoline alone. The usual response to correct both current and anticipated energy gaps is to increase oil exploration, operational activities and source for other alternative non-renewable energy resources and this have always taken devastating tolls on the climate as the global average temperature keep increasing annually. In addition, global warming is now being evidently felt more than before, the heat is staying longer and with greater fury today than in previous years. There are increases in intensity of extreme weather such as floods, droughts and tropical storms resulting in low harvest and threat to water and food supply, rising cases of new diseases and un-diagnosable illnesses contributed by emitted dangerous gases.
Though the fossil oil business is not as booming as in the last two decades due to the recent plunge in crude oil prices, yet at present, 80 per cent of global energy is from fossil sources, which if unchanged, will lead to catastrophic increases of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. The climate is being oppressed, depressed and repressed daily by exploration activities and its fighting back with all the heat and hurricane it can muster as never before, while moving the environment closer to the brink of a global catastrophe.
It is therefore important for a fuel that appear in the energy sources to emit less greenhouse gases (GHG) and other radiatively active substances such as sulphur aerosols and other particulate matter in order to become a more secure fuel. Such is the recent commendable commitment announced by the Federal Government to develop energy database which will indicate locations and energy demands of identified communities across the nation. The energy profile from this database will assist renewable solar system providers in their timely and effective deployment of resources.
Notwithstanding, government with all stakeholders in the energy sector must pragmatically push further to reduce over-dependence on fossil fuel and its resulting GHG burden by recognizing and incorporating second generation biofuel as a major force in the realization of the government vision 30:30:30 of 30GW electricity generation by 2030 where 30 per cent will come from renewable source.
Increasing biofuel usage in the transportation sector can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as diversify energy sources, enhance energy security and stimulate the rural agricultural economy.
Deliberate cropland use and integration of biomass in conventional refinery processes
Suffice to say that many states surrounding the oil exploration sites and refineries in the Niger-Delta have arable land to commercially produce cereal crops, rice fields, oils seeds, root crops for the elimination of human hunger and lignocellulosic wastes for thermochemical conversion to second generation biofuel. With appropriate legislation, government in all tiers should initiate tripartite scheme that will involve oil and gas exploration companies, the state governments of those vulnerable communities and the local farmers. In the case of thermochemical fuels, since many of the equipment components needed for biofuel production are already commercially established for applications in fossil fuel conversion, and processing is relatively indifferent to the specific input feedstock, less development and demonstration efforts are needed. And with adequate funding and seriousness from all stakeholders, commercial production of thermochemical biofuels would begin in two to three years. This integration effort of biomass from agro-waste into existing petroleum refineries will further help meet local demand for transportation fuel, thereby supplementing the nation’s current 2.2million bpd oil production with green diesel and other value-added by-products like bio-lubes, aromatics, glycerine, polypropylene and LPGs from fast-pyrolysis and upgrading of low cost agro-waste feedstocks recoverable at milder operating condition than the conventional fossil crude refining.
The report kicked against giving license to illegal refinery as an attempt too late to appease the anger and hunger in the oil-rich communities and too much to further shoot up the undesirable and obnoxious greenhouse gases to unbearable level. It is possible to successfully introduce greener, sustainable and commercially viable energy culture that will leave no one behind. Also, the fact that green-diesel can be blended with regular ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) to improve cetane rating just as bio-ethanol will do with gasoline, therefore, increasing the price value of the petrol-derived diesel will serve as a huge incentive for oil and gas production companies to partner in lifting out of poverty the very poor and vulnerable members in the society while contributing to an equally important task of building a less polluted climate.
In conclusion
The advocacy for reality of climate debacle is no more a mere social appeal but one that hold the balance of human survival. Citizens may be spending almost all what they earn on servicing the environment. Practical example includes cost of oil spill cleaning, bioremediation and safety. Applications of renewable materials are innumerable: green diesel blend that improve cetane rating and price value of regular petrol derived ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD), bio-ethanol, bio-lubes, LPGs, glycerine, aromatics and polypropylene production for industrial end-users. Empowering people in every local communities through bio-renewable fuel and material production will ensure no one is left behind in the government quest to effectively diversify the economy and place her citizen in pore position for renewable energy shift as we approach the end of the fossil fuel era.
and then