Features and Characteristics that Recommends Electrical Energy as the choice in driving human activity and productivity

 

WHAT FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS RECOMMEND ELECTRICAL ENERGY AS THE ENERGY OF CHOICE IN DRIVING HUMAN ACTIVITY AND PRODUCTIVITY?

Energy may be needed as heat, as light, as motive power etc. The present-day advancement in science and technology has made it possible to convert electrical energy into any desired form. This has given electrical energy a place of pride in the modern world. The survival of industrial undertakings and our social structures depends primarily upon low cost and uninterrupted supply of electrical energy. In fact, the advancement of a country is measured in terms of per capita consumption of electrical energy.

The features and characteristics that recommend electrical energy as the energy of choice in driving human activity and productivity are as follows;

     Convenient form

         Easy control

     Greater flexibility

     Cheapness

     Cleanliness

     High transmission efficiency

 

Ø Convenient form: Electrical energy is a very convenient form of energy. It can be easily converted into other forms of energy. For example, if we want to convert electrical energy into heat, the only thing to be done is to pass electrical current through a wire of high resistance e.g., a heater. Similarly, electrical energy can be converted into light (e.g. electric bulb), mechanical energy (e.g. electric motors) etc.

 

Ø Easy control: The electrically operated machines have simple and convenient starting, control and operation. For instance, an electric motor can be started or stopped by turning on or off a switch. Similarly, with simple arrangements, the speed of electric motors can be easily varied over the desired range.

 

Ø Greater flexibility: One important reason for preferring electrical energy is the  flexibility that it offers. It can be easily transported from one place to another with the help of conductors.

 

Ø Cheapness: Electrical energy is much cheaper than other forms of energy. Thus it is overall economical to use this form of energy for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes.

 

Ø Cleanliness: Electrical energy is not associated with smoke, fumes or poisonous gases. Therefore, its use ensures cleanliness and healthy conditions.

 

Ø High transmission efficiency: The consumers of electrical energy are generally situated quite away from the centres of its production. The electrical energy can be transmitted conveniently and efficiently from the centres of generation to the consumers with the help of overhead conductors known as transmission lines.

 

 WHY HAS NIGERIA FAILED ABYSMALLY TO PROVIDE STABLE AND RELIABLE ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY TO HER CITIZENS?

It is a widely acknowledged fact that erratic power supply in Nigeria is the bane of economic and industrial development in the country. With the abundant human and natural resources the country is blessed with, it becomes paradoxical that after one hundred years of existence and sixty-one years of independence, Nigeria is still not getting it right in terms of energy sufficiency. If the problem is only that the power is insufficient, it would have been a much more bearable situation but the major problem is that the power supply is erratic. Being erratic mean that the residents and companies requiring electricity cannot predict when this electric power from the national grid will be available for their consumption. In most situations erratic power supply can be equated to no power supply as the work the power is needed for, might have been done before the supply is made available or the power is interrupted before what it is to be used for, is gotten ready. Erratic power supply can also be equated to negative power in situations where the flip-flop nature of the supply causes damage to the equipment being powered.

The factors that affect the efficiency and stability of power supply in any developing country/region can be classified as follows: government policy; economic factor; natural factor; society/community factor; effective energy management; skilled personnel; efficient technology and security factor (Oricha and Olarinoye, 2012). These factors can be broken down to the following factors believed to be responsible for the erratic power supply in Nigeria:

 

v GOVERNMENT POLICY

Government‟s inconsistent energy policies have been a major contributor to the Nigerian energy crisis.

For instance, the government‟s policies for over fifty years now have been favoring monopoly in the power generation, transmission, distribution and sales. From the establishment of ECN in 1950 to the setting up of NEPA in 1972, the policy has been that of having an entity with full control of power generation and supply. If after these years, government is now bringing up policies to unbundle the power sector of the economy, then it is obvious that the earlier policies have not helped the system.

 

v INEFFICIENCY IN POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION

From the point of power generation in Nigeria, there is over fifty percent power loss. For instance, a study of Delta four power plants revealed a total average power generation of 30.5% out of the installed capacity (Oyem, 2013). This means that a total of 69.5% of power that would have come out of these four power plants and added to the national grid, is lost just at the point of generation. At the stage of transmission and distribution, a reasonable amount of power is also lost due to transmission lines and equipment that are grossly ill maintained or below capacity. According to the international Energy Agency report (2012), electric power transmission and distribution losses in Nigeria stood at 17.22% in 2010, and the maximum figure between 1971 and 2010 occurred in year 1981 where the loss stood at 49.27%. Figures 4.1 and 4.2 give a plot of electric power transmission and distribution losses in Nigeria from the year 1971 to 2010 in terms of total power loss and percentage loss of the total power generated, respectively, as extracted from IEA report (2012). At the point of consumption, majority of power consumers in Nigeria leave their electric devices „ON‟ even when they are not needed, because of the default billing method adopted by the power distribution companies. This results to great power loss to the system and also to the over loading of the transmission and distribution equipment.

Fig 4.1 Electric power transmission and distribution losses in Nigeria from year 1971 to 2010

 

 

Fig 4.2 Electric power transmission and distribution losses in Nigeria from the year 1971 to 2010 in terms of  percentage loss of the total power generated.

 

v INCOMPETENT STAFF OF THE ENERGY COMPANIES

This is a general Nigerian problem where companies especially government firms, employ workers not based on merit and competence but on favoritism and tribalism. Because of this, no government company in Nigeria that requires workers with professional and technical competence has ever succeeded. NEPA and PHCN had staff, majority of which were employed through the back door and therefore, the only thing they seemed to know was how to climb electric poles and cut cables. On November 5, 2013, Nigerians rejoiced as government handed over generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to private companies. At least Nigerians believed that with the private ownership of these companies, the companies would immediately hire competent staff that will work towards the growth and betterment of the system. But six months after, Nigerians from all walks of life continue to grumble that power supply has gone from bad to worse (Ukoko et al, 2014). These new companies still retain the old incompetent staff of NEPA and PHCN for reasons best known to them.