The Impact of Stand-Alone Systems in Nigeria's Energy Distribution Sector and Present-Day Challenges Faced

Abstract

The electricity situation in Nigeria has become alarming, with the population increasing over the years, the supply of electricity has failed to reach the demand. With over 223 million residents in the country, 95 million people lack an adequate supply of electricity. 91% of the supply is allocated to the urban areas while 30% at most reaches the rural economy due to constraints in the electrical grid. This has caused overdependence on other sources of generation such as diesel generators, and other means of generation. Using these other sources of generation has contributed to the nation's carbon footprint and global warming. This paper aims to study the impact of stand-alone microgrids and how they could curb the electricity deficit in Nigeria, there is also a brief background on renewable energy as it forms the foundation of microgrids. This paper concludes that though microgrids could mitigate global warming and curb the country's electricity deficit, factors such as security and management are preventing the successful implementation of these means.