ASSESSING THE APPLICATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION FOR SUITABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA
Keywords:
Renewable Energy,, Technology, Colleges of Education, National Development, Community Empowerment, North Central NigeriaAbstract
This study assessed the application of renewable energy technology in colleges of education as a means to foster sustainable national development and community empowerment in North Central Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was employed, involving all academic staff of Technical Education departments in seven selected colleges across the six states in the region and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. A census sampling technique was used to include the entire population of 115 academic staff due to its manageable size. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on a four-point rating scale and analyzed using mean scores and chi-square statistics. The findings revealed a moderate yet positive level of adoption of renewable energy technologies, notably solar panels, across the colleges, with respondents confirming visible efforts toward clean energy utilization and increased awareness among staff and students. However, the study also identified critical challenges hampering full implementation, including inadequate funding, limited technical expertise, policy-related issues and infrastructure vandalism. Despite these constraints, the integration of renewable energy was shown to significantly contribute to local employment, inspire community-level adoption, strengthen institutional collaboration with local communities and align with national sustainable development goals. Hypotheses testing revealed statistically significant results supporting the assertions of adoption levels, implementation challenges and the impact of renewable energy on sustainable development. The study concluded that renewable energy technology has a pivotal role to play in driving institutional sustainability and community empowerment and recommended strategic investments, capacity building and supportive policy frameworks to enhance its adoption
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