Dartmouth Events

Electricity Consumption and Complementary Infrastructure for Kenyan Enterprises

Bob Muhwezi, PhD student at UMass Amherst, discusses his current research as part of the New Energy Series.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Zoom
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Lectures & Seminars

Learn more, register, and view past talks at dartgo.org/NewEnergy

Join us as Bob Muhwezi, PhD student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, discusses his recent research as part of the online New Energy: Conversations with Early-Career Energy Researchers. Hodgson Family Assistant Professor of Engineering Erin Mayfield will moderate a Q&A following the presentation. 

 

In Kenya, between 2010 and 2015, the number of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) connected to the grid increased by over 60%. Despite this substantial increase, little is known about the behavioral patterns or conditions that contribute to increased electricity consumption among these SMEs. In his talk, Bob Muhwezi, PhD student at the University of Amherst Massachusetts, will discuss a recent study that addresses the problem through a longitudinal analysis of monthly electricity bills for over 179,000 grid connected SMEs in Kenya. The study leverages multiple publicly available geospatial datasets to estimate how complementary infrastructural variables (such as access to roads, markets, financial services, and macro/micro-economic conditions) correlate with sustained electricity consumption growth by SMEs.

Bob Muhwezi is a third year PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prior to joining UMass, he graduated with a master's in electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) from Carnegie Mellon University-Africa in Kigali, Rwanda. He then worked in the planning department of the Energy Development Corporation (EDCL) of Rwanda where he was responsible for modeling optimal expansion of the nation's generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. His current research centers on the application of data-driven methods to understand electricity demand in data-scarce countries. Specifically, he uses a combination of remotely sensed and ground-collected data to understand how infrastructural features influence electricity consumption growth in some sub-Saharan countries.

New Energy: Conversations with Early-Career Energy Researchers is an online series featuring graduate, post-doctoral, and other early-career researchers sharing their discoveries and perspectives on energy-related topics. From policy to analysis to emerging technology, this bi-weekly series will give anyone interested in energy the opportunity to learn from the rising stars in the field. To learn more about the series and view past talks, visit dartgo.org/newenergy.

 

For more information, contact:
Irving Institute for Energy and Society

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.