Bayero University Kano Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Transitions (CREST) has held the first edition of the International Conference on Renewal and Sustainable Energy Systems(ICRESES), bringing experts to discuss ways to harness alternative energies in Nigeria and Africa.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, CREST director Prof. Nasiru Isa said the energy situation in Africa and Nigeria in particular is dire, noting that they struggle to meet the global requirement for energy per capita.
He said the conference brought experts across the world to brainstorm on alternative and renewable energy requirements, generation, and supply so that they could intervene effectively on the energy requirement for all, which is part of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
He said discussions would explore green sources of energy including solar energy, biomass (waste energy), nuclear energy which are all considered a net zero carbon emitter and cleaner alternative to fossil fuels among others.
In his keynote address, the president-elect of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences(NAS), Emeritus Prof. Abubakar Sambo, urged the federal government to have the political will and take action to utilize all the renewable energies the country is blessed with rather than fully depending on fossil fuels.
He explained that countries such as Ghana, Cape Verde, Kenya, Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, whose governments demonstrated enhanced political will with clear goals in the electricity sector, have resulted in greater electricity access for their countries.
Prof. Sambo further noted that fossil energy resources such as coal, oil and natural gas, which have been the dominant sources of energy for electrification, transportation and industrial production in Nigeria, are highly polluting and exhaustible with carbon dioxide emissions, complicating global warming and climate change which also affects agriculture and food security.
However, he harped on the need for investing in renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass, among others, noting that this can boost energy supply, provide job opportunities, and also create a sustainable environment.
Earlier in his remarks, BUK vice-chancellor, Professor Sagir Abbas, commended the Centre for organising the conference, noting that it would go a long way in enlightening the public and government on the importance of renewable energy.
