Liberia photovoltaic 6 energy storage capacity

According to estimates by the World Bank Group, Liberia has a solar potential of ∼5.4 kWh/m2 per day, with up to 6.5 h of sunshine per day on average . Similarly, Liberia has considerable hydroelectric power potential due to its numerous rivers and other resources.

The country will need to invest heavily in energy infrastructure to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030 . The primary energy sources in Liberia are traditional biomass fuels such as firewood and charcoal, which account for more than 80 % of the country's total energy consumption [5, 12, 13].

In addition, the government signed a Power Purchase Agreement with a solar energy company to provide the country ≥20 MW of electricity in 2020 . Despite these efforts, much work remains to be done to improve access to reliable and affordable energy in Liberia.

The primary energy sources in Liberia are traditional biomass fuels such as firewood and charcoal, which account for more than 80 % of the country's total energy consumption [5, 12, 13]. Petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel, account for about 10 % of energy consumption, while hydroelectric power accounts for just over 6 % .

Thermal power plants have been important to Liberia's electricity generation infrastructure. These plants utilize heavy fuel oil (HFO), diesel, or other liquid fuels as their primary energy source to produce electricity. The reliance on imported fuels for thermal power generation poses several challenges for Liberia [6, 17].

To overcome these challenges, Liberia has been exploring alternative solutions to reduce its dependency on imported fuels for thermal power generation. One strategy is to diversify the energy mix by increasing the share of domestic renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, for electricity generation.