NMets calls for establishment of renewable energy centres

The Nigerian Meteorological Society (NMets) has called for the establishment of renewable energy centres across the country to help curtail environmental pollution.

The President of NMets, Prof. Clement Akoshile, made the call during this year’s World Meteorological Day celebration in Lagos.

The theme for the 2018 World Meteorological Day celebration is: ‘Weather-ready, Climate- smart and Water-wise.’

The celebration creates awareness on wide range of hazards facing the ever-growing world population like tropical cyclone, storm surges, heavy rain, heat waves and drought, among others.

According to him, government should drive the renewable energy process for the country by empowering universities and polytechnics to produce solar panels and patronising them.

”The noticeable effect of the weather with regards to rain is that the early rain is being prolonged and the temperature is far higher than normal.

”All these are caused by heat trapped within the atmosphere as a result of particles of aerosol from the ground.

”To reduce the harm of aerosols, government should develop renewable energy sources to stop reliance on felling of trees for firewood and using fossil fuel that pollutes the environment.

”One of the ways to achieve this is by establishing renewable energy centres across the country,” he said.

Akoshile said that a lot of studies, inventions and prototypes on renewable energy had been made in the universities and polytechnics.

He said that the institutions could mass-produce solar panels if they had funds to do that.

Akoshile said it would be far better for the country to produce solar panels than waste foreign exchange importing them.

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He said that developing renewable centres were possible once the government had political will to do so.

The NMets president said that government needed to control bush burning, cutting of trees, fuel components and the use of coal.

He said that government should also impound all vehicles that emit thick smoke into the atmosphere.