Towards understanding the benefits and challenges of Smart/Micro-Grid for electricity supply system in Nigeria

The poor state of electricity supply system in Nigeria is threatening the welfare and security of life and properties of millions of individuals with adverse economic consequences for the country. The inadequacy of the national grid, especially the inability of the electricity generation capacity to match increasing demand in the country has led to increasing agitation for increased penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) into the electricity supply mix. While great attention has been focused on the potential of RESs for electricity generation in the country, little or no attention has been given to the application of Smart/Micro-Grid (SM-G) technologies to the ageing Nigeria grid infrastructures and electrification of the rural areas. The aim of this paper is to bring into focus the benefits and challenges of enabling SM-G in the electricity supply system in Nigeria. SM-G will bring benefits to the electricity stakeholders in form of improvements in reliability, efficiency, economics, environment, security and safety. The paper gives an overview and reviews the current state of the electricity supply system in the country. It discusses the SM-G concepts and associated technologies, and highlights how they can help address the electricity problems in the country. The challenges of applying these concepts in Nigeria context are also discussed. Enabling SM-G in the country will not only lead to improvement in the quality, efficiency and reliability of the electricity grid, but also promote the provision of electricity supply to the remote rural areas using RESs.