Udochukwu Akuru

2009 made it three decades of the convergence of the intellectual effort from institutions of higher learning in Nigeria to create awareness of the dimensions of the energy problem which gave birth to the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) Decree No. 62 of September 1979 and the Solar Energy Society of Nigeria (SESN, 1980). The effort was part of the continuing struggle to bring about coherent changes for a better quality life in Nigeria, and hence Africa, in the key areas of economic growth (especially creating new environment for investments), applied science (especially in the health sector), democratic governance (especially the demise of apartheid in South Africa in 1994 and end of military dictatorship in Nigeria in 1999), information and communication technology (especially with respect to the use of the computer, e-mail, fax, global system of communication and other modern networking tools), and a measure of military security (especially regional conflict resolution through the African Union). Three decades are long enough to revisit the original vision vis-à-vis the progress made so far in order to objectively ascertain what needs to be put in place for the next cycle of the continuing struggle. As the overall objective is to put Nigeria and Africa on the path of sustainable growth and development in the energy sector on the basis of our own agenda, the greatest threat to the realization of the vision lies in the lack of political will to fully implement the envisaged plan. In particular, although adequate capacity appears to have been built over the years in the underlying basic sciences, and some technical workforce has emerged from demonstration and field tests of imported prototypes, the mobilization of the “critical mass” for value-adding, manufacturing and commercialization of targeted products to fill identified gaps in the market has not yet taken place. This book reviews the antecedents from where were three decades ago (when our focus was on government-led action) to where we are now (experiencing the gradual shift in government policy to permit meaningful organized private sector participation) to our future ultimate plan (to take our destiny in our own hands) by mobilizing science-based enterprises from the ivory tower and facing the challenge of taking our research and development (R&D) results to the market place.
Like Tennyson in Ulysses, suffice it to say to our young generation of researchers and potential entrepreneurs:
COME, MY FRIENDS
‘Tis not too late to see a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows, for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the Western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulf will wash us down;
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we know.
Though much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To survive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Sometime in mid-2007 a young undergraduate student of the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Nigeria, approached a renowned Professor of Physics and Astronomy for the compulsory six-month Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme placement in the research Centre which the old Professor operates. The Professor was surprised initially because of the oddity of what the student-trainee was requesting for but after considering the conditions upon which the training contract will be based, the student was accepted to undertake his training in the Centre. First, an overseas supervisor will be contacted to “virtually” supervise the student’s work during training. Secondly, the student will work in a field directly related to the field of the supervisor. Thirdly, the Centre will be the foundation for formalizing the collaboration between the student’s research and the supervisor’s assessment. Fourthly, the student will produce the regular SIWES report for his training and subsequently, produce a book to buttress his research. Fifthly, the supervisor will give a formal report and hopefully, write a foreword of the book produced. It is with nostalgia that we make good to report the realization of all the aforementioned conditions at one stage or the other, and even more, the final of which is the official birth of this book four years after. The Professor, the student and two other Professors eventually collaborated to write this book. The supervisor of the student, who is also a Professor in his field, happened to have written the foreword as agreed. The student’s research actually dwelt on Mechatronics – a contemporary engineering discipline. The objective was to see how much reception mechatronics have received from the field of engineering and to what extent it has affected research and development (R&D). There was no better way to achieve these goals except by uncovering the definition of mechatronics and looking at instances where there have been established curriculums for it teaching respectively. The current engineering undergraduate curriculum in Nigeria as a developing country is non-commensurate with a contemporary 21st century technological prospect and so the nation lags seriously in research and development (R&D) which is a quantity for infrastructural development. In the light of this development, a mechatronics curriculum becomes necessary. This is so because it combines mechanics with electronics and information technology to form both functional interaction and spatial integration in components, modules, products and systems. This book will share the experience in developing and implementing a new mechatronics curriculum into an existing engineering programme at the undergraduate level – the need, the functions and the hopes. Also discussed, were the strategies involved in initiating, developing and implementing the curriculum, which can easily pass off in any developing nation, Nigeria serving as a case study. In the quest for sustainable development in universities and higher education, this is proffered as an appropriate action for at least, undergraduate engineering programmes.

Data for investment into renewable energy resources in Nigeria is mainly unavailable due to over reliance on conventional resources for energy generation. However, recent developments in the energy sector have portrayed gradual attention to investments in renewable energy resources. This paper reviews the Renewable Energy Master Plan (REMP) which identifies this improvement and presents a draft on how an increase in investment in renewable energy resources, which will in the long run balance the national energy equation, ensure energy security and promote sustainable development.

This paper is concerned with the unabated epileptic power (electric) delivery which is seen to be periodic with a struggling generation capacity and losses-prone inefficient transmission network in Nigeria. Ordinarily, it should mean that only an average Nigerian suffers directly, and only, the burden of this inefficiency, whereby electricity supply to power both household and commercial appliances becomes unpredictable. Yet, further studies have revealed that there is almost no other sector that this ineptitude does not impact indirectly, especially as adverse economic consequences. GDP per Capita versus electrical energy production data for Nigeria and selected countries for the year 2004 served as input parameters which underwent research validation. Small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) were a case study in this paper. In the end, submissions are that apart from the internal devastating effect on SMEs, constant power outages have a major connection with the recent trends of big companies closing or relocating from Nigeria. To sum up, measures were suggested for improvement.

It is believed that wind energy is growing at a very rapid rate, especially in the last few years. When compared with other sources of renewable energy in the energy portfolio, it becomes evident that the bulk is wind energy-based. However, there are some backlogs to full manifestation of this technology ranging from initial high cost to performance and reliability issues, among others. But in spite of these bottlenecks, new research trends have been assertive in seeking out a sustainable solution for harnessing wind energy for power generation - especially in the design and construction of wind generators. In order to motivate and prime a sustainable energy mix among stakeholders, this paper is a shot at appraising the theory of these innovative wind generators towards ecological sustainability, economy, efficiency, and employment creation.

Wind turbine manufacturers are growing more interested in harnessing the potentials in medium-speed drivetrains as against low-speed (gearless) and the well-established high-speed drivetrains. The main concerns are the low downtime in gearbox systems, the high cost of PM and difficult logistics necessitated by the increasing mass of existing wind systems, especially at higher megawatts (MW). Already, conventional wind generators have been tested in the medium-speed drivetrains even though they are not fully developed. In other cases, it has been shown that medium-speed wind drive is a good compromise compared to high-speed and gearless systems. However, such prospects remain to be demonstrated for the re-emerging flux switching permanent magnet (FSPM) brushless machines. In this paper, an attempt to compare different FSPM machines by using finite-element analysis indicates that medium-speed drivetrains could provide salient advantages like reduced total losses, high efficiency, low cogging torque and better torque factor. This means that the overall economics of the wind turbine may be improved.

It is well known fact that the rate of industrial growth of any country is a function of the amount of energy available in that country and the extent to which this energy is utilized. The burning of fossil fuels to generate energy is a dirty process. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions result when fossil fuels are produced and consumed and these emissions contribute to climate change. Nigeria as a country is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because its economy is mainly dependent on income generated from the production, processing, export and/or consumption of fossil fuels and its associated energy-intensive products. Hence, it is on this premise that this paper is researched to review the energy sources being used in Nigeria and investigate its impact to climate change. Findings reveal Nigeria's over-dependence on fossil-generated energy with associated adverse environmental effects, among other things. Recommendations for the integration of renewable energy into Nigeria's energy mix, beyond other measures, have been offered, especially with reference to the salient environmental benefits that accrue to it.

Engineering Topics in Universities have expanded astronomically in recent years resulting in congested curricula and concomitant pressure on students who opt to enroll in the various disciplines, which are also expanding. It is not a surprise therefore that Engineering Students spend more study hours than their colleagues in pursuing, for example, programmes in the social sciences. Under such pressures, many students fail to cope and overall pass rates are low. In this paper, the authors will present the results of a combination of interventions he has incorporated in his classes for study areas that include Engineering Design, Capstone Projects as well the delivery of individual course modules. Through a combination of the measures incorporated, the authors has observed a revived interest in engineering and improved performance. Among the techniques applied to more depth are, Creative Thinking, espoused in Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats", Start Pugh's "Total Design" and a more in-depth implementation of a student's "Learning Portfolio". Through this combination of measures, the authors has achieved not only higher pass rates but also higher passing grades. More recently the authors devised an alternative to laboratory work in which students would as part of a group work on the construction a "Training Board" based on a industry type "script". In this manner, the students would not only have to face the challenge of engineering language, but would learn the dynamics of engineering, e.g. budgeting, purchasing, component sizing, project management and documentation.

This paper shows a very simple method of determining the range of field voltages to be applied to an isolated synchronous generator from no-load to full load while maintaining the rated terminal voltage on the stator terminals. The d-q rotor reference frame equations were used for the calculations and it is shown that values of the field voltages determined follow a simple quadratic relationship that offer a very simple control scheme, dependent on only the stator current.

Several studies abound on electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation and its impact on human health while majority of the conclusions resulting from these studies have been very positive. To this end, a number of sources have been identified to emit levels of EMF radiation such as power transmission lines, base transmitter stations (BTS), mobile phones and many household appliances, some of which have been classified as extremely low frequency (ELF) nonionizing radiating devices. The global system of mobile telecommunications (GSM) revolution supports to a large extent the proliferation of mobile phones and random BTS siting in developing countries of which EMF emissions can assume very dangerous dimensions for human health. This study is undertaken to investigate the dilemma posed by communication network devices that emit EMF radiations e.g. mobile phones transceivers as against their relevance, and proffer palliative measures.

Due to the lack of financial resources available to most people in developing countries, much of the growth in the information communication technology (ICT) sector in developing countries has been fueled by the importation of hand-me-down, used equipment from rich, developed countries, whose consumers are all too happy to find buyers for it. As a result, many brokers and businesses have sprung up to channel used equipment from developed to developing countries thereby, encouraging the production of electronic wastes (e-wastes). This paper reviews the report from the study of Basel Action Network (BAN), "The Digital Dump: Exporting Re-use and Abuse to Africa", so as to investigate how these e-wastes contribute to Nigeria’s energy use in the energy sector.