Rooftop solar PV for urban residential buildings of Nigeria: A preliminary attempt towards potential estimation

To decarbonise the Nigerian electricity sector and ensure stable power supply, rooftop solar PV will play a major role. However, studies aimed at estimating the technical potential of rooftop solar PV in Nigeria are limited. Here, a preliminary attempt has been made using a computationally logical methodology to estimate the technical potential of rooftop solar PV in urban residential buildings of Nigeria. We use the PVSyst (R) software to estimate the annual energy yield of rooftop solar PV in selected cities across the country. The paper also heads on to estimate the levelized unit cost of electricity and the break-even capital cost of rooftop solar PV. The available roof area for solar PV in urban residential buildings of Nigeria is estimated at 796 km(2) and the technical potential at around 124 GW(p). Annual energy yield and levelized unit cost of electricity analysis shows that Kano and Port Harcourt cities have the highest and lowest potentials of rooftop solar PV respectively. Break-even capital cost analysis suggest that rooftop solar PV is not financially attractive for consumers in R1 and R2s categories in the country presently. The enabling conditions and policy implications for deployment of rooftop solar PV in the country are also highlighted.