The story of “Liberian Tesla” – How Mijat Kustudic from Novi Sad joined the electrification team in Africa

The first electrical lighting in Serbia shone in 1884 in the facility of the Military-Technical Institute in Kragujevac, whereas the first public power plant started operating in Belgrade nine years later, in 1893. This year is considered to have marked the beginning of electrification of Serbia. Last year, 123 years after Serbia, the electrification of Liberia started, with Mijat Kustudic, a student at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad taking part in it.

As part of a program of student exchange and master studies of project management in Ulm, Germany, he became part of the team in charge of the project of the electrification of this African state, where only 9.8% of people had access to electricity.

Mijat Kustudic reveals for eKapija what life is like in one of the poorest countries in the world and how the electrification project is progressing.

The project started in March 2016, and our interviewee has been in this African country since October. The arrival to Liberia was a great shock to him.

– Adapting to living conditions here took some time. If you don't take water from the well, disinfect it, then use it to bathe or wash the dishes, no one will do it for you – it is in such situations that you realize that you're on your own. People here can't afford to throw away anything, so an alternate use is found for everything. It's interesting how creative people here are in finding new uses for products ready to be thrown away. They get entirely new shapes and uses, and when these are exhausted, new uses are found. Tough times demand tough responses – Mijat begins his conversation.

Liberians solve the lack of electricity by using fire and batteries, and light is therefore available for the most part. Generators are used for greater comfort, but they require better financial standing, says Mijat Kustudic.

This student from Novi Sad became part of the team in Liberia during a student exchange. He had, as he says, carefully considered all his options until he found a professor dealing with rural electrification, a field he was interested in, and offered to help him in any way. That's how he ended up in Liberia.

Electricity coming...

The project in which the young Serbian expert is engaged consists of 4 main elements and phases, namely, distribution of 3,000 pico solar systems, preparation of school syllabus so that students might specialize in using renewable sources, helping renewable energy penetrate the market of Liberia and opening the local production of the systems. So far, partners for cooperation have been found, meeting have been held with future distributors, education programs have been carried out, project success indicators have been prepared, and a network of all important decision-makers has been created.

– We are now examining and determining the reactions to renewable sources and the readiness to invest in them. Training programs for citizens and local distributors to that end have yet to be carried out, and local distributors can count on technical, financial and logistics help during that period. Parallel to training programs, the beginning of local production, providing possibilities of employment, is expected.

The system to be built consists of a battery and a controlling element. The controlling element displays the state of the battery and manages its charging and discharging. It can be programmed by simply pushing a button in several different ways, Mijat explains.

– The main part of the system is a small solar panel charging the system. The system contains outlets for add-ons, such as lamps, USB chargers, phone and battery lamp chargers, a fan, as well as numerous other outlets. The main idea is to enable people from rural areas to charge these devices, as they mostly use fire for everything they do. Another frequently used option are generators, but they are noisy, cost a lot, their fuel is expensive and they need to be maintained. The solar solution is better in every way.

Before his master academic studies, Mijat graduated from the Faculty of Economics, and his education in economics, management and engineering helps him perform various tasks, from financial calculations and plans, through preparing business plans, managing logistics and negotiations, to calculations of optimal states of solar systems. He says that each working day in Liberia is different.

– It's always interesting and dynamic. In addition to performing everyday activities within the project, I visit the country's rural areas, work as an associate of Mercy Corps, meet with representatives of GIZ, the Liberia Rural and Renewable Energy Development Agency and others.

The thing he misses the most from Serbia during his stay in Liberia is, as he says, the ease of living.

– I know what the state in Serbia is like, but I also know that there are people here who face existential problems every day. In Serbia, if you want to eat, you open the fridge, you can shower with hot water, you don't have to walk for miles to the store, and children have a basic right to education and healthcare, whereas children here don't.

The project of the electrification of Liberia should last until March 2018. Following its completion, thanks to 3,000 individual and pico solar systems, around 15,000 people will get access to electrical energy, under the assumption that each household consists of 5 persons.

Mijat will spend the next several months in Germany where he will formulate this project as his master thesis. After he completes his studies, he would like to work on a similar project anywhere. He plans to apply for a PhD program abroad, and, as he says, Serbia “luckily, doesn't need my services”.

K.S.

Fakultet tehničkih nauka Univerziteta u Novom Sadu

GIZ Beograd

Mijat Kustudic

Liberian Tesla

electrification of Liberia

electrification in Liberia

Faculty of Technical Sciences Novi Sad

Ulm

Africa

electrification in Africa

solar panels

solar power plants

solar lighting

rural electrification

pico solar systems

MercyCorps

GIZ