Local Innovation: Creating a Foundation for Success in Rural Liberia

The Totota Electric Cooperative (TEC) in rural Liberia, established in 2018 through a partnership between NRECA International and USAID/Liberia, has achieved financial self-sufficiency within two years. The utility utilizes a solar hybrid mini-grid to provide electricity to over 1,500 people across 341 households and businesses, supporting local economic growth through services like cold storage. To improve operational efficiency and monitoring, NRECA International developed the 'TEC Dashboard,' an automated web-based platform that tracks key performance indicators such as energy use, power outages, and bill payments in real time, replacing cumbersome manual data collection.

• The Totota Electric Cooperative became self-sufficient in less than two years, covering all operating costs and employee salaries without government subsidies.
• A solar hybrid mini-grid provides electricity to 341 households and businesses, serving more than 1,500 people since 2018, with a total target capacity of approximately 2,000 people.
• Access to electricity has stimulated economic growth in Totota, specifically enabling small businesses to provide cold storage for food products sold to travellers.
• The implementation of the 'TEC Dashboard,' an automated web-based monitoring platform, replaced manual data collection and improved the utility's operational efficiency by providing real-time data on energy use, peak load, and commercial bill payments.

APA

Mineen, A. (2021). Local Innovation: Creating a Foundation for Success in Rural Liberia. Alliance for Renewable Electrification. https://renewelec.org/local-innovation-creating-a-foundation-for-success-in-rural-liberia/

Chicago

Mineen, Aaron. Local Innovation: Creating a Foundation for Success in Rural Liberia. Alliance for Renewable Electrification, 2021. https://renewelec.org/local-innovation-creating-a-foundation-for-success-in-rural-liberia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mineen |first1=Aaron |title=Local Innovation: Creating a Foundation for Success in Rural Liberia |publisher=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |date=22 February 2021 |url=https://renewelec.org/local-innovation-creating-a-foundation-for-success-in-rural-liberia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mineen2021local, author = {Mineen, Aaron}, title = {{Local Innovation: Creating a Foundation for Success in Rural Liberia}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://renewelec.org/local-innovation-creating-a-foundation-for-success-in-rural-liberia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }