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Research paper thumbnail of Hydroelectric Power & National Development A case study of Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant in Liberia Baccus D Roberts

Baccus D Roberts, 2023

Globally, hydroelectric sources of electricity have been adopted by many countries as a means of ... more Globally, hydroelectric sources of electricity have been adopted by many countries as a means of supporting national development. In Liberia the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant has played an immense role in supporting businesses and individuals with the supply of electricity. However, for some few years, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has faced different degrees of challenges that have reduced the electricity supply with intermittent electricity supply and increases in utility tariffs. As a result, businesses are facing huge challenges in their operations and this is hampering economic growth and development. There is a need to ascertain the various factors contributing to these challenges in order to provide solutions to help the dam produce at capacity and support the national development of Liberia.

This research study adopted the cross-section descriptive research design. While the mixed method approach to data gathering and analysis was adopted. Thus, the mixed method approach focused on quantitative and qualitative approaches. The sample size was 204 participants, comprising businesses and individuals who are customers of LEC equals 200 participants, management, and 3 technical engineers. The sample size was made up of customers of LEC, engineers, and managers of the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant. The sampling technique used for the study were both purposive and convenience sampling technique. The SPSS version 26 and NVivo version 7 were used for the quantitative and qualitative analysis respectively.

The research study revealed that customers of LEC the challenges affect overall satisfaction by 18.2%. This clearly is indicative of the fact that the challenges have a long culminating effect on customer satisfaction in the short- or long-term period.
The study recommends the need for equipment and infrastructure planning and maintenance. Thus, the ability to provide timely maintenance, and replacement, when necessary, of the equipment and machinery. Additionally, there is a need for customer education to help promote energy efficiency and conservation.

According to Agarwal (2015), dams hold water in reservoirs or lakes and dam water powers a turbine and then released downstream. According to Kagiannas et al. (2004), hydropower plant operations can vary. The hydroelectric plant's process conditions can cause flow issues, cavitation, and other issues that limit hydropower unit lifespan and performance. Hydro dams may be operated directly since several software applications oversee their construction and design. Whether based on computer algorithms or human decision-making, dam operation and management attempt to optimize effectiveness and benefits while balancing dam goals, operability, and safety (Cong & Wei, 2010).

Research paper thumbnail of How implementation of quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost may assist in achieving greater productivity, lower costs and higher quality at Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC

Baccus ROberts Operations and Information Management _(July_2021)_[738427], 2021

As Africa thrives under surging economic and population growth rates, the continent face the chal... more As Africa thrives under surging economic and population growth rates, the continent face the challenge of ensuring that everyone benefits optimally from the gains of development. Power utilities are key to growth and their provision or the lack of can make the difference between prosperity and underdevelopment where people struggle with poverty and vulnerability. According to the World Bank, “there are about 1.3 billion people without reliable power sources globally, most of them in Africa and Asia’’.
Liberia has one of the lowest electricity access rates in the world, approximately 12%. In the capital city of Monrovia, less than 20% of the population has access to electricity. The Government of Liberia aims to meet an anticipated peak demand of 300 MW and serve 1 million customers, connecting 70% of the population in Monrovia and providing access to 35% of the rest of Liberia by 2030. The cost of electricity in Monrovia currently is an average tariff of $0.35/kWh.
The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) autonomous public entity that was created in 1973 by the Government of the Republic of Liberia through an act of Legislature with a mandate to produce and supply economic and reliable electric power to the entire nation, while at the same time maintaining the corporation’s commercial viability. Intrinsic in this mandate is the responsibility for improving and expanding the system to meet future growth. LEC therefore has the responsibility of ensuring that efficient, reliable, and affordable electric power is available not only to meet the increasing demand for electric energy in Liberia but also to serve as a catalyst for socio-economic development. As of the time of writing this paper, LEC has the total instilled generation capacity of 126 MW. (88MW Hydro operation and 38MW diesel operation. Since 2016 the peak on the grid is 56.6MW.

Research paper thumbnail of Baccus D Roberts OaIM Final Assessment

Operations & Information Management (OIM), 2021

This report represents a brief but holistic overview of the current status of Music Mates, an ana... more This report represents a brief but holistic overview of the current status of Music Mates, an analysis of its current and proposed Business Process Models, analysis of five CRM software, recommendation of which software suits the current and future business needs of the entity, and finally recommendations for how they can transition into being an agency for other bands. These sections have been selected to give an all-inclusive review and prospects of the business to all stakeholders.

Research paper thumbnail of Hydroelectric Power & National Development A case study of Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant in Liberia Baccus D Roberts

Baccus D Roberts, 2023

Globally, hydroelectric sources of electricity have been adopted by many countries as a means of ... more Globally, hydroelectric sources of electricity have been adopted by many countries as a means of supporting national development. In Liberia the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant has played an immense role in supporting businesses and individuals with the supply of electricity. However, for some few years, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has faced different degrees of challenges that have reduced the electricity supply with intermittent electricity supply and increases in utility tariffs. As a result, businesses are facing huge challenges in their operations and this is hampering economic growth and development. There is a need to ascertain the various factors contributing to these challenges in order to provide solutions to help the dam produce at capacity and support the national development of Liberia.

This research study adopted the cross-section descriptive research design. While the mixed method approach to data gathering and analysis was adopted. Thus, the mixed method approach focused on quantitative and qualitative approaches. The sample size was 204 participants, comprising businesses and individuals who are customers of LEC equals 200 participants, management, and 3 technical engineers. The sample size was made up of customers of LEC, engineers, and managers of the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant. The sampling technique used for the study were both purposive and convenience sampling technique. The SPSS version 26 and NVivo version 7 were used for the quantitative and qualitative analysis respectively.

The research study revealed that customers of LEC the challenges affect overall satisfaction by 18.2%. This clearly is indicative of the fact that the challenges have a long culminating effect on customer satisfaction in the short- or long-term period.
The study recommends the need for equipment and infrastructure planning and maintenance. Thus, the ability to provide timely maintenance, and replacement, when necessary, of the equipment and machinery. Additionally, there is a need for customer education to help promote energy efficiency and conservation.

According to Agarwal (2015), dams hold water in reservoirs or lakes and dam water powers a turbine and then released downstream. According to Kagiannas et al. (2004), hydropower plant operations can vary. The hydroelectric plant's process conditions can cause flow issues, cavitation, and other issues that limit hydropower unit lifespan and performance. Hydro dams may be operated directly since several software applications oversee their construction and design. Whether based on computer algorithms or human decision-making, dam operation and management attempt to optimize effectiveness and benefits while balancing dam goals, operability, and safety (Cong & Wei, 2010).

Research paper thumbnail of How implementation of quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost may assist in achieving greater productivity, lower costs and higher quality at Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC

Baccus ROberts Operations and Information Management _(July_2021)_[738427], 2021

As Africa thrives under surging economic and population growth rates, the continent face the chal... more As Africa thrives under surging economic and population growth rates, the continent face the challenge of ensuring that everyone benefits optimally from the gains of development. Power utilities are key to growth and their provision or the lack of can make the difference between prosperity and underdevelopment where people struggle with poverty and vulnerability. According to the World Bank, “there are about 1.3 billion people without reliable power sources globally, most of them in Africa and Asia’’.
Liberia has one of the lowest electricity access rates in the world, approximately 12%. In the capital city of Monrovia, less than 20% of the population has access to electricity. The Government of Liberia aims to meet an anticipated peak demand of 300 MW and serve 1 million customers, connecting 70% of the population in Monrovia and providing access to 35% of the rest of Liberia by 2030. The cost of electricity in Monrovia currently is an average tariff of $0.35/kWh.
The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) autonomous public entity that was created in 1973 by the Government of the Republic of Liberia through an act of Legislature with a mandate to produce and supply economic and reliable electric power to the entire nation, while at the same time maintaining the corporation’s commercial viability. Intrinsic in this mandate is the responsibility for improving and expanding the system to meet future growth. LEC therefore has the responsibility of ensuring that efficient, reliable, and affordable electric power is available not only to meet the increasing demand for electric energy in Liberia but also to serve as a catalyst for socio-economic development. As of the time of writing this paper, LEC has the total instilled generation capacity of 126 MW. (88MW Hydro operation and 38MW diesel operation. Since 2016 the peak on the grid is 56.6MW.

Research paper thumbnail of Baccus D Roberts OaIM Final Assessment

Operations & Information Management (OIM), 2021

This report represents a brief but holistic overview of the current status of Music Mates, an ana... more This report represents a brief but holistic overview of the current status of Music Mates, an analysis of its current and proposed Business Process Models, analysis of five CRM software, recommendation of which software suits the current and future business needs of the entity, and finally recommendations for how they can transition into being an agency for other bands. These sections have been selected to give an all-inclusive review and prospects of the business to all stakeholders.