• Electrical demand estimation
• Energy-use survey
• Load profiles
• Micro-hydro
• Off-grid energy systems
• Rural electrification

The lack of access to electricity is a major problem especially for rural areas populations of developing countries. One of the most adopted solutions is the installation of micro-grids. A major issue is the sizing and management of such systems because it is difficult to formulate the electrical demand of individuals who are not familiar with electricity and to forecast how the consumption can evolve over time without the support of historical data. In this study, a procedure based on surveys of electrified areas is applied to evaluate the electrical load and the socio-economic characterization of communities. Data derived from surveys are employed as input of three load formulation methods: two stochastic procedures, LoadProGen and ESCoBox, and one algorithm that formulates the load directly from the results of the interviews. The results obtained are compared with the measurements of the electrical demand. Moreover, a basic evaluation of the load growth over the years has been carried out to plan the future management of the system. The procedure has been applied to three Honduran communities where rudimental hydro-powered micro-grids are installed and where a field study has been carried out.