Increments in the price of oil in 1970s have brought many countries in search of alternative energy
sources which will not cause harm to their entire environment as like fossil fuel does. The only available energy
source that is capable of providing perhaps without harm to the environment is renewable energy. Renewable
energies are important to an energy supply portfolio as they contribute to the world energy supply security, as
well as to reducing dependency on the use of fossil fuel. They also contribute to mitigating greenhouse gases.
The diffusion and adoption of a new technology such as renewable energy technologies needs the proper
understanding of the environment as well as the existing sources of energy in the area. This paper investigates
the current status of energy production and the potential of renewable resources in Nigeria. These investigations
were carried out by analyzing the available policies and barriers toward the promotion of using renewable energy
technologies in Nigeria. These barriers include political issues, environmental issues, technical issues, as well as
economic and social issues.