Ikogosi, Olumirin Erin, and Arinta spring potentials for renewable energy generation: indication from their geological and hydrogeological attributes

Abstract

Across the globe, energy demand is continually on the increase due to population growth and modernization. Dependence on fossil fuels has led to global warming and greenhouse effects thus causing desertification, coastal erosion, and flooding. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative sources of energy which are renewable and display less environmental impact. Nigeria is one of the developing countries of the world that experiences severe erratic electricity supply, which has adversely affected economic growth. Consequently, this study was conducted to explore the energy generation potential of the Ikogosi, Olumirin, and Arinta springs. The hydrogeological and geological attributes of each spring were studied to identify the geothermal or hydropower potential generation of each. The results showed that the Ikogosi spring, with a surface temperature of 71 °C, has hyperthermal potential for geothermal energy generation, while the Olumirin and Arinta springs have a surface temperature of 24 °C and 26 °C, respectively, which are hypothermal and hence do not favor geothermal energy generation. However, other hydrogeological and geological attributes of the Olumirin Spring showed that it has a 205-m hydraulic head and a flow rate of 0.85 cm³/s thus suggesting potential for hydropower generation, while Arinta spring attributes do not indicate potential for either geothermal or hydropower energy.