Geospatial assessment of small hydropower potentials in Ogun watershed for rural electrification

Abstract

BACKGROUND Access to electricity supply is fundamental to the achievement of any meaning development in a nation. However, over two billion people across the world lack access to electricity (International Energy Agency (IEA), 2018). More than 620 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are believed to be without power (IEA, 2014) and about 60% of Nigerians do not have access to electricity despite the abundant energy resources available in the country (IEA, 2019). Going by the current electricity deficit and population growth projections, the number of people worldwide without access to electricity may surpasses 2.5 billion people by 2030 if current electricity supply and distribution is not improved (IEA, 2017). In Nigeria, there is the rural urban dichotomy on electricity access. According to the International Energy Agency (2016), electricity access in Nigeria is at 55 percent in urban areas and 36 percent in rural areas, while about 134 million people (76 percent) rely on traditional biomass for energy. Majority of the population without access to electricity are located in the country's rural areas, far away from existing and usually poor grid network. Extending electricity to these communities (rural communities) come with huge investments, structural, and technological changes in energy system (Barnes, 2005; Alexandros et al., 2018). Therefore, if these challenges must be overcome, a more flexible and sustainable electrification scheme must be developed in a cost-effective manner (Mentis, 2016). Hydropower is among the most efficient technologies for production of renewable electrical energy, with