Electricity transforms lives. It lights homes, businesses, and hospitals, enabling work, education, and healthcare. It saves time on daily tasks like grinding grain or pumping water, unlocking opportunities for prosperity in communities around the globe. It improves food security, facilitates trade, and connects people to the world. And when electricity comes from locally available renewable energies, it often is the only alternative, as the grids never reached these users in a reliable way: it provides resilience against climate hazards and against fossil fuels cost and availability issues.

At TTA, we focus our expertise in decentralized renewable energies. Empowering communities, industries and institutions worldwide to achieve greater reliability, well-being, security, and new opportunities by electrifying them with clean, fair, and sustainable energy.

Mission: We empower communities worldwide by providing tailor-made and future-proof integrated energy solutions.

Vision: Our vision is a world where everyone can reach their full potential through access to essential resources. As a pioneer in our industry, we strive to be a benchmark firm enabling impact for our clients.

TTA offers end-to-end integrated energy solutions, specializing in decentralized renewable energy and energy access. Our services include:

• Consulting. Development of policy and regulatory frameworks; Energy planning; Definition of delivery models and tariffs; Transaction advisory; Technical and Financial feasibility studies; Field visits; Technical Due Diligences.
• Engineering. Concept and detailed engineering designs; Preparation of tender documents, Owner’s Engineering and Construction Supervision.
• Construction and Operation. Turn-key mini-grid projects under Engineering Procurement and Construction Projects (EPC) contracts; Operations & Maintenance.
• Training and Capacity Building. Training local communities and sector stakeholders in energy access; organization of the International Conference on Solar Technologies and Hybrid Mini-Grids to improve energy access; Participation in international standard committees.
• Research and Development. Developing and testing new technologies for off-grid electrification.

We work with governments, power utilities, development organizations, and the private sector to provide sustainable and reliable energy access where needed most.

TTA advocates for a multidisciplinary and user-centered approach to project development and implementation. Our process ensures that each solution is tailored to the specific needs of the people and places we serve. Some general characteristics of our day-to-day work, include:

1. Field Assessment & local characterization — We engage with users and stakeholders to characterize the local context and how this translates to their energy needs. We don’t see power as an ultimate purpose, but just as an enabler to bring impact to each final user. Therefore, it is essential first to understand the real needs and only then assess how energy can help satisfy them. This includes, among others, understanding well the local governance, the economy and its potential promotion, the health and education existing and envisioned infrastructure, the presence of other utility services, etc.
2. Custom Design — At TTA we strive for down-to-earth, pragmatic solutions, tailored to the user’s needs. We advocate for multi-technology solutions that seamlessly integrate conventional AC mini-grids with other off-grid solutions, such as solar home systems, solar kiosks, or mesh grids, all under the same service area. When possible, we encourage bundling the energy-related project interventions with other basic services such as water or telecommunications.
3. Implementation & Deployment — We excel in preparing procurement processes, preparing the tender documents and supporting the evaluation and award processes. We are also experts in construction supervision, overseeing the procurement, installation, and commissioning of off-grid infrastructure, ensuring quality and long-term performance. Sometimes we supply and install the equipment ourselves. This allows us to gain first-hand real experience that retrofits our designs and our technical capacity as a trustworthy Owner’s Engineer.
4. Capacity Building & Training — We empower local stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainability. In addition, we engage in knowledge sharing and dissemination activities to support the sector development.

Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning — We benefit from our almost 40 years of global experience in the sector by being able to extract the lessons learned from one country and offer them to the others. To do so, we optimize the measurement, evaluation, and learning processes, even developing our own equipment.

TTA operates worldwide, primarily in areas without electricity access or where the power service is not reliable. Our projects span rural communities, institutions or industries with unreliable electricity supply, islands, refugee camps, and conflict zones, mainly in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific.

Our typical clients include:

• Multilateral organizations & development agencies such as UN agencies or development banks (e.g. World Bank).
• Governments & public institutions such as ministries of energy or power utilities.
• Private sector and project developers investing in decentralized renewable energy or energy access projects.
• NGOs & foundations working on rural electrification and humanitarian projects.

TTA primarily provides technical expertise and advisory services to governments, development agencies and the private sector to design and implement electrification projects. We conduct feasibility studies, design renewable energy solutions, and support project implementation to ensure sustainable and reliable access to electricity in off-grid communities. While generally we do not directly develop mini-grids, we assist stakeholders in making these projects viable through technical support, policy recommendations, and capacity-building initiatives.

The most suitable solution depends on your community’s energy needs, local resources, and economic conditions. We often classify electrification solutions into three main categories:

• Collective Electrification Systems (CES) – These systems serve multiple users from a shared energy source, making them ideal for villages, businesses, and institutions. Examples include:
  • Mini-grids – Small-scale power grids using solar PV, batteries, and sometimes diesel backup to provide electricity to an entire community.
  • Swarm-grids – A network of interconnected household energy systems that exchange power, allowing for a flexible and scalable solution.
  • Solar kiosks – Centralized solar-powered stations offering phone charging, battery rental, and other essential services.
• Individual Electrification Systems (IES) – These systems provide energy to a single household or business, making them suitable for sparsely populated areas. Examples include:
  • Solar home systems (SHS) – Standalone solar panels with battery storage, typically used for lighting, phone charging, and small appliances.
  • Small-scale wind or hydro systems for a single user – Used in areas with suitable wind or water resources, providing independent energy access.
• Single-Appliance Electrification Systems (SAES) – These systems generate and supply electricity to power a specific appliance or service. Examples include:
  • Solar water pumps – Used for irrigation and drinking water supply in agricultural and remote communities.
  • Solar refrigeration systems – Used in health centers and businesses to store vaccines, food, or perishable goods.
  • Standalone solar streetlights – Providing public lighting without requiring a full-grid connection.

The best solution is often a combination of these options, tailored to the community’s specific needs. Different solutions can coexist within the same Service Area, ensuring the most cost-effective electrification strategy while maintaining affordable tariffs for end-users. We conduct detailed feasibility studies to determine the best solution for each community, ensuring affordability, reliability and long-term sustainability.

The cost of a minigrid varies depending on factors like system size, energy demand, location, and local infrastructure. While smaller minigrids may cost tens of thousands of dollars, larger systems serving entire villages or businesses can range from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars. We conduct feasibility studies to determine the most cost-efficient solution and identify potential financing options from governments, donors, and private investors.

Sustainable operation and maintenance are key to long-term lasting energy access. We design projects with a focus on local capacity building, training community members, and establishing local energy cooperatives or enabling the activity of private operators to manage the system. In many cases, minigrid operators handle routine operation and maintenance, while our technical partners can provide long-term support and remote monitoring to ensure reliable performance.

Yes, electricity from a minigrid or decentralized system typically comes with a cost, similar to grid electricity. However, the cost and tariffs are country-specific and depend on several factors, including the regulatory framework and the business model applied.

Tariffs should be designed to be affordable and tailored to local economic conditions, ensuring that households and businesses can sustainably access electricity. Payment systems vary depending on the project but commonly include:

• Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) – Users prepay for electricity via mobile payments or recharge credits.
• Monthly service-based subscriptions – Flat-rate plans for households and businesses categorised by consumption levels. This type of tariff facilitates the integration of added-value features such as incorporating indoor wiring or appliances as part of the service, promoting productive uses or community services, or adopting a technology-agnostic approach.

Project timelines vary depending on factors like location, system size, regulatory approvals, and logistics. On average:

• Feasibility studies & planning – 3 to 12 months.
• Procurement & system installation – 3 to 6 months for smaller projects; up to 12 months for larger minigrids.
• Commissioning & community training – 1 to 3 months.

While installation itself may take only a few weeks, project development, securing funding and mobilization typically take longer. It shall be noted that communities with no access to electricity tend to be remote. As a result, logistics always play an important role in project implementation and heavily influence its schedule.

Yes! Solar energy systems, whether standalone or part of a minigrid, can reliably power essential services such as:

• Schools – Providing lighting, digital learning tools, or internet connectivity.
• Health centers – Running medical equipment, refrigeration for vaccines, or lighting for nighttime operations.
• Businesses – Powering shops, water pumps, cold storage, ice making, or processing equipment.

A proper characterization of the energy needs and the integration of energy storage (batteries), ensure a reliable service with high power quality even at night or during cloudy conditions.