Technical Barriers to Renewable Energy Technology Adoption in Nigeria

In the arena of energy, there is a global integration of renewable energy technologies (RETs) into various national energy policies in order to reduce the risk of climate change. Although the Nigerian energy policy (2005) stipulated increased deployment of renewable energy technologies, concern remains about the implementations and public acceptance of the technologies. Unless the factors that constitute barriers to public adoption are identified and addressed, successful deployment of these technologies will be unattainable. This paper discusses the technical barriers to acceptance of RETs in the understanding of the Nigerian populace. The study was carried out in Oyo State of Nigeria. Using a convergent parallel mixed-method research approach, data was collected via a survey (quantitative) and focus group interviews (qualitative). There was a survey of 600 participants and four focus group interviews conducted including 23 participants. Four common technical themes emerged from the data: accessibility, complexity, maintenance, and durability. Unless the factors that constitute barriers to public adoption of the technologies are identified and addressed, successful deployment of these technologies will be unattainable. The findings of this study underscore the need for collaboration between the government, the industry, the academic and the public in the implementation of RETs in the country. This study will be a guide for policy makers in Nigeria and other African countries in developing policy interventions to address such barriers