BEYOND TECHNICAL METRICS: INTEGRATING SOCIAL DIMENSIONS INTO RENEWABLE ENERGY PLANNING THROUGH A MULTI-SCALE FRAMEWORK

Abstract

This dissertation addresses a critical gap in renewable energy planning in Nigeria by integrating essential social dimensions related to Energy and Environmental Justice (EEJ) into conventional technical assessments. While traditional energy planning predominantly focuses on technical, environmental, and economic factors, it often overlooks social realities, such as community perceptions and willingness to transition, historical conflicts, and equitable benefit distribution, which profoundly influence the success and fairness of renewable energy transitions. The central aim of this research is to develop a holistic, multi-scale, and interdisciplinary framework that incorporates social dimensions, particularly EEJ principles to ensure renewable energy projects are not only technically feasible but also socially equitable. Chapter 2 empirically investigates the willingness of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to transition to renewable energy following Nigeria’s fuel subsidy removal in 2023. It reveals that over 77% of MSMEs surveyed are willing to adopt renewable technologies, influenced by factors including location, settlement type, education, enterprise category, and current energy use, while highlighting that mere awareness does not guarantee adoption. This chapter sheds light on procedural justice dimensions, emphasizing the need for targeted engagement to enhance renewable energy uptake. Chapter 3 contextualizes renewable energy transitions within global patterns of environmental injustice, using the Critical Restoration Geography (CRG) framework to analyze documented conflicts linked to RET development worldwide. It identifies recurring themes of displacement, exclusion from decision-making, underscoring recognition and restorative justice as essential for preventing similar injustices in Nigeria’s emerging renewable energy sector. Although Nigeria has limited renewable energy-specific conflict data, the global evidence presented in this chapter provides anticipatory guidance for the country’s emerging transition by illustrating how historical and sociopolitical factors must be acknowledged and addressed to achieve equitable energy transitions and ensure that renewable energy development does not exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Chapter 4 advances the methodology by integrating distributive, procedural, and recognition/restorative justice indicators into a national-scale GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for solar-wind hybrid site suitability. The inclusion of EEJ criteria reshapes the spatial distribution of renewable energy potential, contracting highly suitable zones but redistributing opportunities toward socially and environmentally equitable areas, particularly highlighting northern Nigeria as optimal for hybrid deployments. The hybrid system demonstrates resilience under stringent justice constraints, reinforcing its strategic importance. This research is significant because it transforms renewable energy planning from a purely technical exercise into a socially just and sustainable process, addressing both environmental and human dignity. It offers policymakers, planners, and developers a replicable, justice-centered framework that harmonizes technical feasibility with social equity, which is essential for fostering inclusive, ethical, and conflict-sensitive energy transitions in Nigeria and comparable contexts globally.