Simon’s first assignments were in small hydropower projects in the Philippines, lasting over six years. Then, he flew between the UK & many developing nations working on hydropower initiatives until he found work with NIRAS in 2018.
To travel in many parts of Liberia, you need a vehicle capable of withstanding harsh driving conditions. This is the case for renewable energy expert Simon Taylor, who is part of a team conducting feasibility studies for a future electrification project, and who regularly manoeuvres his off-road rugged transportation across an area of about 530 km, from the city of Buchanan to the townships of Barclayville and Greenville.
“You have jungle paths in this wet tropical country, and every type of vehicle tries to use these routes,” says Simon. “But really, the only vehicle that can deal with such roads is a four-wheel drive, with a high wheelbase and significantly strong suspension.”
But even the best-equipped vehicle has its limitations, and Simon has faced breakdowns and long waits. Realistically, only 100 kilometres can be covered in a day, he says. And given the distance between the project’s participating towns, two days are needed to travel from one area to the next.
Despite the complications that come with the project, Simon knows there is work to be done. And if the electrification of Barclayville, Buchanan and Greenville through renewable energy contributes to mitigating the effects of climate change, then it is work worth seeing through to the end.
The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), based in the country’s capital Monrovia, is a state-owned entity whose role is to distribute affordable and reliable electricity around the capital while the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) is responsible for electrification in the rural parts of Liberia.
Between 1970 and 1990, LEC branched out to supply electricity to ten isolated power systems, bringing power where it had not been before. Unfortunately, much of the nation’s electricity infrastructure has been destroyed because of past civil wars. Apart from the 88 MW Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant that supplies Monrovia, most Liberian households get their power from the likes of diesel gensets and small solar panels, while all cooking needs are catered for with charcoal and firewood, sources that emit substances harmful to both humans and the environment.
“Even a big city like Buchanan doesn’t have an electrical connection to the grid,” says Simon. “People use electricity from diesel or petrol generators, very small systems. There’s always electricity in places, but it’s derived from burning fossil fuels.”
With the future goal of implementing new electricity systems in the three locations in the south-east of the country, the team’s feasibility studies have identified different technologies most suitable to the context of each area.
For Buchanan, the solution foreseen is to connect households and small establishments to the West African Power Pool through the Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea (CLSG), a clean energy grid that mostly comes from hydropower in Ivory Coast. For Greenville, a hybrid system composed of solar power and hydropower is envisaged given that the town is on the River Sinoe. And for land-locked Barclayville, Simon and his colleagues have identified solar power as the way forward.
“You have to understand what people need, so you have to do interviews and outreach in the community. And for our part, as consultants and sponsors of these projects, we have to encourage working with clean energy sources.”
Simon Taylor, Renewable Energy Expert of the project 'Feasibility Studies for the Distribution Networks in Buchanan, Greenville and Barclayville'
Generally, residents of remote communities are on board when it comes to developments in their area, and – especially if they see the benefits of using renewable energy – they become extra supportive, says Simon. “You have to understand what people need, so you have to do interviews and outreach in the community,” he adds. “And for our part, as consultants and sponsors of these projects, we have to encourage working with clean energy sources.”
Today, as he and the team are wrapping up the EU-funded feasibility studies for Barclayville, Buchanan and Greenville, Simon reflects on what has been an interesting but challenging assignment. Being backed by NIRAS has helped mitigate some of the issues the team has encountered, he notes. The project manager Pascal Wubben, for one, has been instrumental in navigating these challenges.
“I don't think the problems would have been resolved without his hard work,” says Simon. “Pascal has been very good at bringing in the necessary inputs from the senior stakeholders.”
The feasibility studies they have produced will be used for future projects that the EU will seek out proposals for. “If we have responsive companies that bid, the projects will get built,” he adds.
Beyond the project, the promotion of greener energy sources hits close to home for Simon. Since his youth, the 55-year-old has been acutely aware of the escalating impact of climate change, prompting him to join the fight against it.
When Simon started out as an engineer in renewable energy, he first specialised in the field of wind power. Thanks to the UK recession in the 1990s, however, this was a short-lived career. But the setback did not deter him from pursuing another specialisation in clean energy.
“I became a little bit despondent when I was let go, but then I applied myself in hydropower instead,” he says. “I've always focused on renewable energy because of the imperative of doing something for climate change as it was already emerging as an issue."
Simon’s first assignments were in small hydropower projects in the Philippines that lasted for over six years. After that, he flew between the UK and many developing nations working on hydropower initiatives until he found work with NIRAS in 2018. That first project was based in Greenville, Liberia, where he was involved in developing feasibility studies for what would be country’s second hydropower plant.
Then and now, fieldwork was critical to the project’s completion. “If someone wants to get into renewable energy, you have to do fieldwork. It's as simple as that,” he shares. “Putting real equipment into the field and getting it to generate energy that will benefit the people, that’s what makes an impact.”
In another life, Simon would be an architect. This is not motivated so much by his love for breathtaking buildings as it by his passion for solving the global crisis of climate change. “Buildings are very beautiful things,” he says. “But they don't need to put such a load on the planet if they're well-designed.” Part of the problem of climate change, he adds, is the development of buildings. The consumption of materials and energy involved just to keep them operational is complicit in today’s climate crisis.
This echoes another sentiment Simon has regarding climate change, and that is how our never-ending need to accumulate, consume and pursue wealth contributes greatly to the problem.
And so, he takes on hydropower and solar power projects, particularly in regions untouched by the excessive production of greenhouse gases. He continues to run his consultancy firm Renewable Design Consultants as a way to “do things on [his] own”. And he meets with stakeholders and project participants to get them to see what green energy alternatives can do for the planet.
But at the end of the day, he acknowledges that his individual work to fight against climate change will require greater collective action.
“We've been aware of climate change issues since the late ‘80s,” he says. “Now, I do what I can as an engineer to try and encourage clean energy." His emphasis on the “I” gently reminds us that the power to shape a greener future lies in each of our hands.
