INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL of RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH A. A. Ojo et al., Vol.10, No.2, June, 2020 An Overview of the Exploitation of Renewable Energy Resources in Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom Ayotunde A. Ojo* ‡ , Omojola Awogbemi *, Anthony O. Ojo* * Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. (chartell2006@yahoo.com; jolawogbemi2015@gmail.com; thonydeji@yahoo.com) ‡ Corresponding Author; Ayotunde A. Ojo, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, Tel: +2347065489964, chartell2006@yahoo.com Received: 19.05.2020 Accepted:15.06.2020 Abstract- In this study, the current perspective of renewable energy utilization as an alternative energy source and viable energy option were examined and discussed from the standpoint of sustainable development in Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The challenges and drivers impacting the development and implementation of renewable energy (RE) in these countries were identified and discussed in the comparison between the countries. Amongst the numerous factors, the effect of energy policies, policymakers, its implementation and supporting financial backing, and conventional energy associated demands were predominant features of the RE development strategy of these countries. This article gives an overview and a conceptual framework of how these key factors influence RE development. It also aims to contribute to the debate on how to promote renewables, influencing decisions of the policymakers, contribute to policy formulation and attract funding in the countries considered with particular emphasis on Nigeria. Keywords Renewable energy; Nigeria; South Africa; United Kingdom. 1. Introduction Renewable energy (RE) sources and its enabling technologies have been the focal point of most research on the sustainability of the ever-growing, energy-dependent global population. With the global human population of 1 billion in the 1600s rising to 7.6 billion in 2018 and which is projected to increase to 9.7 billion by 2050 [1], there has been a corresponding increase in energy consumed. Energy consumption has risen from ~2,000 Mtoe (~23,260 TWh) reported in the 1950s to ~14,000 Mtoe (~162,820 TWh) in 2017 and is projected to further increase to ~17,000Mtoe (~197,710 TWh) in 2035 [2] and 19,000 Mtoe (221,000 TWh) in 2050 [3]. It is eminent that the exploration of alternative energy sources is required to meet global energy demands. The British Petroleum’s annual outlook (2017 edition) depicted skewness in the global energy resource consumed with the dominance of fossil fuels ~85%, while nuclear power contributes about 5% and less than 10% being generated from renewable energy resources [2]. Given the adverse effects of non-renewable energy sources such as the ozone layer depletion, greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, depletion of fossil fuel reserves, scarcity of the elements/compounds used to fuel nuclear plants and the disposal of their by-products, the energy consumption trend cannot be sustained without increased catastrophic effect [4,5] relative to the increasing energy demand. Hence, the necessity for a commensurate carbon-neutral energy source with energy resources equal to or greater than the present- day energy demand is pertinent. The establishment of RE based energy system is an effective way for the global long- term energy transformation. Understanding and mitigating the adverse effect of the use of non-renewables has led to research and development (R&D) focused on energy optimization and RE technological advancements. This is in addition to the formulation of national policies and several international treaties such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of 1992 [6], the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement of 2015 which are all channeled towards combating global warming through the reduction of GHGs concentrations in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, these