Coping with a Broken Grid: The Effects of Fossil Fuel Backup Generators in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Authors: Ishaq MI, Amulah CN, Hammajam AA, Baba UA
DOI Info: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5048383
ABSTRACT
The cost of power outage can be substantial. Epileptic power supply and grid cut off is a commonplace in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria. To meet energy needs, there is an increasing attention to the use of backup generators for self-generation. Continual dependence on these backup generators does not come without revelatory monetary costs to the populace. The study analysed the energy generation, fuel consumption, pollutants emissions, and the costs associated with the servicing and maintenance of backup generators. Fuel cost for operating the backup generators in a month sums up to 116.8 million Naira, which is about 11.3% of the cost of purchasing the backup generators. Also, the high emissions of CO2, NOx and PM2.5 make these generators a potential source of ground-level ozone formation and also contribute to air pollution. Comparing the overall spending of the operation of the diesel generating sets and the environmental hazards over a long period of time with the cost of acquiring them, the cost of operation becomes dominant. The unreliability of the power grid and the recent events that put the city of Maiduguri into total blackout warrant the search for an alternative source of energy.
Affiliations: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Maiduguri, PMB 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
Keywords: Fossil Fuel, Fuel Consumption, Backup Generator, Grid, Maiduguri
Published date: 2021/06/30
