CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY............................... 1-5
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.............................. 5-7
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY................................... 7
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY............................ 8
SCOPE OF THE STUDY...................................... 8-9
LIMITATION.................................................... 9
ENDNOTES...................................................... 10-11
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………. 12-13
SOLAR ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY…………......... 13-14
SOLAR TECHNOLOGY: TYPE AND METHODS
OF STORAGE…………………………………………………… 14-16
TYPES OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY………………………. 16-17
PHOTO VOLTAIC TECHNOLOGY………………………. 17
CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER……………………. 18
THE SOLAR POWER TECHNOLOGY – HOW IT
WORKS………………………………………………………….. 18-19
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR ENERGY
TECHNOLOGY………………………………………………… 19-20
SOLAR TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION FOR
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT……………………………... 21-22
SOLAR LIGHT………………………………………………… 22-23
SOLAR THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES………………….. 24-25
COOKING……………………………………………………… 25
PRESS HEAT…………………………………………………. 25-26
SOLAR CHEMICAL………………………………………… 26
SOLAR VEHICLE……………………………………………. 26-28
ELECTRICITY GENERATION…………………………… 28
ELECTRICITY AND POWER GENERATION
IN NIGERIA…………………………………………………... 29-40
SOLAR ENERGY AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE
OF ENERGY FOR NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………… 41-44
SUMMARY………………………………………………………. 44-46
ENDNOTES……………………………………………………… 47-51
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN......................................... 52
POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE…………………….. 52-53
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES………………………………… 53-54
VALIDATION OF THE INSTRUMENT………………… 54
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS…………………………. 54-55
TYPE AND SOURCE OF DATA………………………….. 55
TECHNIQUE OF DATA COLLECTION…………………. 55-56
IDENTIFICATION OF VARIABLES…………………….. 56
STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS…………………………. 57
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION
DATA PRESENTATION……………………………………….. 58-61
DATA ANALYSIS………………………………………………... 62-69
ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
AND ITS USE FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT…….. 69-70
SUMMARY……………………………………………………….. 70-71
ENDNOTES………………………………………………………. 72
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
CONCLUSION…………………………………………………… 73-74
RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………….. 75-76
ANNEX A…………………………………………………………. A-1
REFERENCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………… 77-81
ABSTRACT
This research was carried out to understand solar technology: An alternative source of energy for national development. The study was based on the pursuance of basic objectives to ascertain the present state of power generation and supply in Nigeria, to examine the possibility of reviving the energy sector of Nigeria, highlight the advantages of solar technology as it affects national development. In essence the study sets out to contribute to the advancement of knowledge on solar energy in Nigeria as an alternative power supply for national development. The quantitative research technique was utilized during the course of the study.
The research explores the historical development of solar energy. It further highlighted solar energy and its applicability and the solar thermal technology. It is important to note that for Nigerian to have a stable power supply, solar energy should be use as an alternative source of power. It is imperative to know that if Nigerian hopes to develop her economy, government should develop solar energy power plant across the nation. Universities should also be encouraged to undergo researches into solar technology. The government should introduce solar in the science curriculum in Nigeria schools at all levels.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
1. The development of a nation brings an effective transformation of its socio-political, economic, cultural, technology and industrial bases. More so, within the particular conception of socio-economic processes which underscores every economic system, economic development, globally, resolves around the issues of the character, structure, pattern and evolution of desirable inter-personal relations of production, allocation and utilization of available resources in any country.1
2. In order to achieve these and put national development on course, modern operational technologies with respect to production, allocation and utilization is designed and tied strictly to the use of energy in one form or the other.2 Based on the above, it is seen that the quest to rapidly and firmly put the Nigerian state on course of sustainable development is technically a function of adequate and sustained supply and distribution of energy. According to the present Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi, the Nigeria economy will continue to take a wrong course until the power sector of the nation is put on the right track.3 This underlines the need of an adequate supply of energy to the nation in general and the industrial sector in particular.
3. The above synopsis indeed, explain the major reason why one of the frustrating and disturbing issue in Nigeria national development today is that of epileptic power supply particularly since the late 1980’s. The situation of the emerging electricity outrage from the supply inadequacy, especially in the late 1990’s was that of persistent electricity power shortage at alarming rates.4 This is in the face of abundant primary electricity resources- coal, natural gas, geothermal, tide, solar, biogas, and biomass to mention but the few. This period was a period that could by tagged the “Dark days” in Nigeria.
4. Apart from economic and political crisis that grounded socio-political and economic activities in the country, the period of
the 1990s was defined as a period of serious electricity crisis. This period was also tagged to be a crucial or decisive moment; an undesirable turning point; a time of difficulty and distress. To cap it, the ugly situation of electricity shortages and inadequacy shows the emergence of a crisis situation in which electricity supply could not catch up with its high demand. The use and need of alternative power generators then becomes the order of the day. The use of generators has however cost the nation in ways of air pollution in the form of carbon monoxide which has resulted to death especially of member of households. Some other cost has been noise pollution, and the expensive cost of maintaining some of these generators which has at one time or the other stalled industrial production and high cost of production.5
5. This has thus created the need for other safer and less expensive alternatives of power supply. The adoption of solar energy as an alternative power supply then becomes most necessary. This involves the use of lenses or mirrors and tracking system to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam and then converts light into electric current using the photo electric effect, while PV is a device that converts light into electric current using the photo electric effect.6
6. Solar power has great potential. In 2008, solar power supplied about 0.02% of the world total energy supply.7 The technology is now been popular following the energy crisis that engulfed that world system in the 1990’s. There are many competing technologies, including fourteen types of photo electric cells, such as thin film, mono crystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and amorphous cells, as well as multiple types of concentrating solar power. This creates the bases for many alternatives and
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