Investigating the Reliability and Viability of Embedded Generation to Improve the Power Supply (Eleme, Rivers State as a Case Study)

摘要

The issue of viability is of great concern in our daily life. Since Eleme is becoming an industrial hub of Port Harcourt City and a preferred location for most of the industries, considerable share of the electric power supply should be directed towards the area. The people in Eleme have been faced with erratic power supply and this is associated with their livelihood; all power consumers are victims of the problem. Especially for factories and industries, it is really challenging to tolerate power interruption since it causes much revenue loss within hours of interruption. So the root cause of this problem should first be identified and the possible solution should be investigated. This paper covers, investigating reliability and viability of Embedded Generation to improve the power situation in Eleme. The scope will be limited to using the option of power gas turbine technology to generate the electricity. Over the years, all effort to achieve reliable and viable power supply through centralized generation have not yielded any meaningful result, so there is an urgent need to seek power generation options that reduces the amount of energy lost on the grid and to do this in an affordable manner. Electric Power interruption is affecting many sectors in Eleme. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to assess the power system viability challenges and their enhancement using Embedded Generations. This will be achieved through the investigation into the main causes of power interruptions in Eleme; the investigation into the reliability and viability of using Embedded Generation to improve the power situation in Eleme. From the investigations, relevant conclusions and recommendations will be drawn.