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Deployments of renewable energy technologies in the current century represent a critical approach to sustainable development. Renewable energy can be generated from sources with the backdrop to restock themselves based on timescale. The most important sources of renewable energy include solar photovoltaic conversion technologies, biomass and biofuel energy systems, wind energy turbines, geothermal energy technologies and hydroelectric power systems. Considerable investment in renewable energy in a country can lower the nation's dependency on imported fuels and purchase of energy from foreign market. It also drives technological innovation and generate employment scheme while enhancing clean development mechanism. Consequently, this paper presents the existing renewable energy technologies in the Nigeria and as well makes some critical recommendations to further induce development of renewable and sustainable energy systems based on autonomous energy systems and microgrid (µgrid) technologies. The recommendations are made based on varieties of energy technologies for solar power generation, biomass and bioenergy, wind energy, hydropower generation and the combined generation systems using hybrid energy mechanism. The structure of the study is concluded based on suggestions on how to pursue some impending socio-political, technological, investment policy and legislative issues for effective renewable energy development in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unit Commitment (UC) is an optimization problem used to determine the operation schedule of the generating units at every hour interval with varying loads and generations under different generational, environmental and technical constraints. With the significant increase of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) integration into the power networks, effects posed by these system changes to the UC are actively being studied and investigated by global researchers and operation engineers. To this end, this paper firstly provides a literature survey of UC concept, objectives and constraints. Different UC models developed for addressing RES impacts are also reviewed. Moreover, many algorithms have been proposed in the past few decades to optimize the UC problem. This work explores the necessity for alternative optimization approaches for UC solution. In doing that, the work uncovers the advantages and disadvantages of the existing methodologies so that future algorithms could be designed in retaining the advantages of the existing methodologies while avoiding the presented weaknesses. In addition, installation of energy storage devices to balance the fluctuation in power generation and their associated impacts on UC models are reviewed. The contents of this paper provide ready-to-refer and ready-to-use information for the researchers working in the field of UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever-increasing price of conventional energy resources and related environmental concern enforced to explore alternative energy sources. Inherent uncertainty of power generation and demand being strongly influenced by the electricity market has posed severe challenges for DRPs (Demand Response Programs). Definitely, the success of such uncertain energy systems under new market structures is critically decided by the advancement of innovative technical and financial tools. Recent exponential growth of DG (distributed generations) demanded both the grid reliability and financial cost–benefits analysis for deregulated electricity market stakeholders. Based on the SGT (signaling game theory), the paper presents a novel user-aware demand-management approach where the price are colligated with grid condition uncertainties to manage the peak residential loads. The degree of information disturbances are considered as a key factor for evaluating electricity bidding mechanisms in the presence of independent multi-generation resources and price-elastic demand. A correlation between the cost–benefit price and variable reliability of grid is established under uncertain generation and demand conditions. Impacts of the strategies on load shape, benefit of customers and the reduction of energy consumption are inspected and compared with Time-of-Used based DRPs. Simulation results show that the proposed DRP can significantly reduce or even eliminate peak-hour energy consumption, leading to a substantial raise of revenues with 18% increase in the load reduction and a considerable improvement in system reliability is evidenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Energy use is a prerequisite for physical and socio-economic development in both rural and urban communities. There is a need to promote and guarantee energy security, availability and reliability to preserve any existing level of development and further new developmental strides for human comfort. Access to modern energy is considered one of the foremost factors contributing to the disparity between developed and developing nations. Undisputedly, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the most physically and economically backward developing and poverty-stricken region in the world. The slower rate of development can be attributed to the low access to modern energy use in the region as a result of a high level of constraints ensuing from underprivileged energy policies, inadequate funding, ineffective energy infrastructures and the low pace of technological diffusion. These overlapping deficiencies are responsible for the looming scenario of energy crisis in the region, which has heightened the degree of dependency on combustible renewable energy sources for primary energy consumption. The application of modern renewable energy is a negligible component in the regional power sector compared with its naturally endowed potential. This review presents the current state of affairs of renewable energy application in SSA. From a focal point of view, wind energy, solar energy, hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal energy are fundamentally discussed within the framework of socioeconomic and technological developmental challenges in this review article. It was stressed that combustible bioenergy is excessively consumed in the region especially in the rural segment of society. It also pinpoints some prevailing challenges negatively influencing the development of renewable energy using modern technologies. Conclusively, this research highlights the need for effective international and cross-sector collaboration on inputs from financial, resource and technological development mechanisms for renewable energy exploitation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fossil fuels-based conventional grid extension in developing countries from centralized power systems in urban centres to rural areas is usually capital intensive and in most cases not economically realistic. From a global perspective, more than a quarter of the human population experiences an energy crisis, especially those living in the rural areas of developing countries. Among these numerous victims of global energy shortage are the majority of people in sub-Saharan Africa, like Nigeria. More than 80% of Nigerians consistently rely on combustible biomass especially from forest wood and its charcoal derivatives for primary energy consumption amidst a serious shortage of access to modern energy sources. Nigeria has abundant renewable and non-renewable energy resources. While most attention is concentrated on tapping only the traditional bioenergy resources, other renewable energy resources are underexploited. This article reviews comprehensively the potential of four major kinds of renewable energy sources (biomass, solar, wind and hydro) in Nigeria. A total energy potential of 697.15TJ is estimated from crop residue, 455.80PJ from animal waste and 442MW from municipal solid waste in Lagos metropolis alone. The solar radiation in the country ranges from 4kWh/m2 in the south to 7kWh/m2 in the north, which is sufficiently above the threshold average value of 2.3kWh/m2 required for the operation of simple domestic load especially in rural communities. Wind speed in the country varies from 1m/s in the southern plain to 7.96m/s far northwest in Katsina State between June and September. Unexploitable hydropower potential of 12,954.2MW also exists as against the backdrop of 10,000MW required to raise the socio-economic growth level and alleviate poverty in the country. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]