Riverine Hydrokinetic Energy Potential in Selected Rivers In North Central, Nigeria
Abstract
This work technically assesses Nigerias hydrokinetic energy potential with the view to developing an
indigenous technology, based on the peculiar hydrology of Nigerian rivers, as a national renewable
energy resource. The research team focused on the main rivers in the southern River Niger basin in the
North-central region of Nigeria for a start. The methodology was to first obtain the aggregate theoretical
hydrokinetic power available in the rivers and then determine the recoverable (technically obtainable)
resource. The first involves using a hydrological model and spatial tool while the other is through field
measurements and analysis. A hydrological model using the GIS system MapWindow, was used to
simulate the hydrological parameters of the sub-basins and computation was also made using a
spreadsheet software package to estimate the instantaneous power that can be obtained along the river
stretch. The technically recoverable hydrokinetic power potential was computed by allocating a recovery
factor to each river subdivision in the database and summing the product of the recovery factor and the
theoretical resource across the subdivisions. Results show there are potentials of this technology in the
investigated southern River Niger basin. The total estimated value of the theoretical resource for the
watershed totals 826.7 MW while the estimated value for the technically recoverable resource totals 198.4
MW. River Awun has the highest technically recoverable hydrokinetic power potential of 257.5 MW while
River Oshin has the lowest (20.9 MW).
References
tidal, and ocean current), retrieved from http://energy-alaska.wikidot.com Accessed
on 15 December, 2016.
Bane, J.M., He, R., Muglia, M., Lowcher, C.F., Gong, Y. and Haines, S. M. (2017).
Marine Hydrokinetic Energy from Western Boundary Currents; Annual Review of
Marine Science, 9(1 ), 105-123.
Chow, V.T. (1959). Open Channel Hydraulics, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Electric Power Research Institute EPRI, (2012). Assessment and Mapping of the
Riverine Hydrokinetic Energy Resource in the Continental United States, Technical
Report, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA, 1 -2.
Elmhurst College (2014). Koppen climate classification. Elmhurst College. Retrieved
from http://www.elmhurst.edu/~richs/EC/101/KoppenClimateClassification.pdf.
Holanda, P., Claudio J., André L., Antônio C., Nelio M. and Emanuel N. (2017).
Assessment of hydrokinetic energy resources downstream of hydropower plants,
Renewable Energy, Elsevier, 101(C), 203-1214.
