Research for more equitable energy futures

Student thesis research: Ahana Mukherjee

Overview

Power system planning shapes investments in generation and grid infrastructure. Fragmented data and inaccessible tools can limit participation in these decisions, particularly in the Global South. SEER aims to make planning faster, more flexible, and more accessible to energy-sector stakeholders.

The project is developing an open dataset to support machine learning approaches, including automated input-data generation and models that approximate optimization solvers. Collaboration with planning practitioners is central to making the tools useful for real decisions.

Project goals

Sponsors

Climate Change AI ↗

Partners

Rhiza Research ↗

Mohini Bariya · Genevieve Flaspohler · Joshua (Josh) Adkins

IDEAS students on this project

• Ahana Mukherjee →

Stories & resources

• SEER project overview ↗Funder project profile

  Project objectives, investigators, and grant information.

• SEER at Rhiza Research ↗Lead partner overview

  Planned dataset, scenarios, and collaboration with June Lukuyu and Ahana Mukherjee.

• Climate Change AI announces Innovation Grantees ↗Funding announcement · 29 April 2026

  SEER is among the projects featured in this funding announcement.

• June Lukuyu’s SEER update ↗Public update · LinkedIn

  An update on the collaboration and its focus on accessible power systems planning. LinkedIn may require sign-in.

Data & tools

Open datasets and machine learning tools are in development. Public download and code links will be added when available.

Project sources

• SEER project overview ↗Funder project profile

  Project objectives, investigators, and grant information.

• SEER at Rhiza Research ↗Lead partner overview

  Planned dataset, scenarios, and collaboration with June Lukuyu and Ahana Mukherjee.

Overview

The study examines energy-transition demand in Rwanda in collaboration with KCRC, Rwanda Energy Group, and the eGUIDE initiative.

From May to August 2025, Eliane Nirere participated in fieldwork surveying more than 2,000 low-income households in Kigali. About 370 participating households received efficient electric kettles through a cost-sharing scheme, with electricity and appliance use to be monitored over six months.

Partners

Kigali Collaborative Research Centre ↗

Rwanda Energy Group ↗

e-GUIDE ↗

IDEAS students on this project

• Eliane Nirere →

Stories & resources

• Kigali Data Collection: May - Aug 2025 ↗Lab story

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Student thesis research: Eliane Nirere

Overview

An interdisciplinary approach to planning rural electrification.

Developer data collection and site visits across Sub-Saharan Africa in April–October 2025.

Sponsors

UW Royalty Research Fund ↗

Partners

Elise Harrington · University of Minnesota ↗

IDEAS students on this project

• Eliane Nirere →

Stories & resources

• UW Royalty Research Fund ↗Funding program

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Student thesis research: Ahana Mukherjee

Overview

This project aims to classify Global South countries into distinct sector-specific transition typologies that reflect the development magnitudes and trajectories based on energy usage, economic structures, and environmental impacts across the agriculture, buildings, industry, power and energy, and transportation economic sectors

IDEAS students on this project

• Ahana Mukherjee →

Project sources

• Ahana’s research timeline ↗

Overview

Community Benefit Agreements in Utility-Scale Energy Projects.

Project objectives

• Compile U.S. case studies of community benefit agreements (CBAs) for utility-scale energy projects across rural, urban, and tribal communities.
• Compare agreement structures, negotiating parties, and terms, with emphasis on how benefits are defined and enforced through responsibilities, reporting, and penalties for non-compliance.
• Identify best practices for early, transparent engagement, inclusive decision-making, community priorities, and accountability.
• Examine barriers to negotiation and implementation, including trust, information gaps, confidentiality, power imbalances, and enforcement.
• Document state and federal policies that encourage or require community benefits, including the Department of Energy’s Community Benefits Plan requirement.

IDEAS students on this project

• Ahana Mukherjee →
• Madelyn M McInnis

Overview

The Community-Owned Renewable Electrification (CORE) project supported Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to develop, test, and scale a community-led model for renewable electricity service provision. Through this model, known as the Renewable Energy Users’ Cooperative Societies (REUCS), communities took ownership of mini-grid operations, governance, and long-term sustainability.

CORE was implemented by a consortium led by Mercy Corps – Energy 4 Impact, together with local partner Murty International and the Kigali Collaborative Research Centre (KCRC). The consortium brought together complementary expertise to strengthen and expand the REUCS model nationwide.

Sponsors

UK PACT ↗

Partners

Mercy Corps – Energy 4 Impact (consortium lead) ↗

Murty International ↗

Kigali Collaborative Research Centre ↗

Elise Harrington · University of Minnesota ↗

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Student thesis research: Eliane Nirere

Overview

Comparing gamification with conventional surveys as approaches to estimating mini-grid electricity demand in Fiji.

Partners

LEAPS · Arizona State University (lead) ↗

IDEAS students on this project

• Eliane Nirere →
• Damion Huang

Stories & resources

• LEAPS at Arizona State University ↗Lead partner

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Illuminating Energy Inequities in Informal Urban Communities

Overview

Spotlight Kampala brings Ugandan and international researchers together with residents to understand and improve electricity services in informal settlements. Its research connects infrastructure, affordability, safety, and community priorities.

The collaboration surveyed 500 households, conducted 66 interviews, deployed 148 remote power-quality sensors, and mapped infrastructure across 25 communities. Findings were returned to participating communities to help identify priority solutions.

Electric cooking research combines household engagement, monitoring, and wiring inspections. More recent work explores community-designed solar cooking systems and payment, ownership, and maintenance arrangements.

Sponsors

e-GUIDE ↗

STEG · Structural Transformation and Economic Growth ↗

Partners

University of California, Berkeley ↗

Urban Action Lab · Makerere University ↗

University of Massachusetts Amherst ↗

University of Washington ↗

nLine ↗

ACTogether Uganda ↗

Arizona State University ↗

YouthMappers ↗

People

• Jess Kersey ↗Project lead
• Paul Kyoma ↗
• Judith Mbabazi ↗
• Sirezi Bulenza ↗
• Aisha Zawedde ↗
• Civian Kiki Massa ↗
• June Lukuyu ↗
• Lydia Letaru ↗
• Michael Jurua ↗
• Stellamaris Wavamunno Nakacwa ↗
• Elena van Hove ↗

Related publications

• “Then electricity theft would end, nobody loves stealing”: Community-based solutions for improving electricity access in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda →
• Grid connections and inequitable access to electricity in African cities →
• Advancing Electric Cooking Transitions in Informal Settlements: Lessons from Kampala →
• Illuminating Energy Inequities in Informal Urban Communities: Main Findings Report →
• Three Ways the Multi-Tier Framework Could Better Capture the Nature and Scale of Urban Energy Poverty →
• Recognizing the energy access challenges of informal urban communities in Africa →

Publications & outputs

• Grid connections and inequitable access to electricity in African cities ↗Nature Cities · 2025
• Community-based solutions for improving electricity access in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda ↗Research article · 2025

Stories & resources

• Spotlight Kampala ↗Project website
• Electric cooking data and methodological resources ↗Harvard Dataverse · 2025
• Energy access data and methodological resources ↗Harvard Dataverse · 2025

Overview

Improving energy access assessment in urban informal settlements in Nairobi by measuring hidden electrical hazards.

People

• June Lukuyu ↗
• Nathan Williams ↗
• Vongaishe Mutatu ↗
• Austine Owuor Otieno ↗
• Paul Kyoma Asiimwe ↗
• Vijay Modi ↗

Overview

Cofán Tribal Energy Resilience.

Partners

The Cofán people ↗

IDEAS students on this project

• Aya Alayli →
• Erin Edlund

Publications & outputs

• Cofán Tribal Energy Resilience ↗Research poster

Overview

Effects of weather patterns on Minigrid electricity behavior: insights from the Katiirwe solar Minigrid in Western Uganda.

Partners

Elise Harrington · University of Minnesota ↗

IDEAS students on this project

• Biniyam Gebreyohannes

Overview

Investigating the role of electric boiling in the electric cooking transition in Nairobi and Kigali.

In Summer 2025, Eliane Nirere led data collection in Kigali to assess household electricity and cooking-fuel use. She designed the KoboToolbox survey, trained 20 enumerators, and led fieldwork with more than 2,000 households across six sectors. She also led household selection and the distribution of more than 350 kettles to low-electricity-consuming households to assess electric water boiling as a convenient, affordable alternative for cooking tasks.

Partners

Quadracci Sustainable Engineering Lab (QSEL) · Columbia University ↗

Vijay Modi · project co-lead · Vongaishe (Vongai) Mutatu · project co-lead

e-GUIDE ↗

People

• Vijay Modi ↗Project co-lead · QSEL, Columbia University
• Vongaishe Mutatu ↗Project co-lead · QSEL, Columbia University
• June Lukuyu ↗
• Nathan Williams ↗
• Austine Owuor Otieno ↗
• Paul Kyoma Asiimwe ↗

IDEAS students on this project

• Eliane Nirere →

Related publications

• The Hidden Role of ‘E-Boiling’ in Clean Cooking: How Nairobi’s Informal Settlements are Quietly Powering an Electric Transition →

Stories & resources

• The hidden role of e-boiling in clean cooking ↗Story · NextBillion

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Overview

The project examines multiple stakeholder perspectives on electric bus services in Kigali, Rwanda.

In August 2024, Miquilina Anagbah led data collection with University of Rwanda students. Surveys with about 800 electric and diesel bus passengers examined service satisfaction and perceptions of electric buses.

Sponsors

BasiGo ↗

Partners

University of Rwanda ↗

STIMA Lab · UMass Amherst ↗

IDEAS students on this project

• Miquilina Anagbah →

Stories & resources

• Kigali Data Collection: August 2024 ↗Lab story
• BasiGo Rwanda ↗Project supporter
• STIMA Lab ↗Project partner

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Student thesis research: Ahana Mukherjee

Overview

Research on charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India, developed from Summer 2024. The Spring 2026 manuscript focuses on distributed, solar-based charging for electric autorickshaws in West Bengal.

IDEAS students on this project

• Ahana Mukherjee →

Publications & outputs

• Powering the Last Mile: Distributed, Solar-based Charging Infrastructure Planning for Electric Autorickshaws in West Bengal, IndiaManuscript · Submitted Spring 2026

  A public manuscript link has not yet been added.

• Distributed and Equitable Charging for Electric Three-Wheelers ↗Research poster · 2025

  Presented at the UW ECE Research Showcase; received the Best Overall Research award.

Stories & resources

• IDEAS Lab at the 2025 UW ECE Research Showcase (March 2025) ↗Lab story

Project sources

• Ahana’s research timeline ↗

Overview

Examining climate and equity in community-based demand response in the Pacific Northwest.

Related research

• Climate and Energy Injustice: racial and income disparities in access to indoor comfort →

Sponsors

Clean Energy Institute ↗

Partners

Baosen Zhang · University of Washington ↗

Stories & resources

• UW Clean Energy Institute collaborative seed grants ↗Funding program

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Overview

Developing data-driven approaches to understand distribution grids and localize losses.

Sponsors

Climate Change AI ↗

Partners

nLine ↗

Stories & resources

• Project overview ↗Funder project profile
• Helping global grids work smarter, not harder ↗Project story · 29 August 2024

Project sources

• Original lab project listing ↗Project resource

Student thesis research: Kwame Donkor

Overview

Research on weather, outages, voltage, and neighborhood vulnerability in Greater Accra, begun in Summer 2024 and completed in Summer 2026. The resulting manuscript has been submitted.

IDEAS students on this project

• Kwame Donkor →

Related publications

• When Climate Shocks Collide with Grid Failure →

Publications & outputs

• Extreme Weather Raises Outage Risk Across Accra and Heat Lowers Voltage in Vulnerable NeighborhoodsManuscript · Submitted Summer 2026

  Submitted to Communications Earth & Environment (Nature Portfolio). This is a submitted manuscript, not a published article; no public manuscript link has been added.

• When Climate Shocks Collide with Grid Failure ↗Policy memo · 9 April 2026

  Co-authored with June Lukuyu, Mohini Bariya, and Genevieve Flaspohler for the Energy for Growth Hub.

• Bridging Climate Risk and Grid Resilience in Africa’s Energy TransitionPresentation & poster · Autumn 2025

  INFORMS Annual Meeting, Atlanta. A related Greater Accra case-study presentation was delivered virtually to Kilowatts for Humanity in Winter 2026.

Overview

Designing a solar plus storage microgrid for resilience.

IDEAS students on this project

• Hassan Dirif

Overview

Climate and Energy Injustice: racial and income disparities in access to indoor comfort.

Related research

• Climate and Equity Considerations for Community-Based Demand Response Strategies in the Pacific Northwest →

IDEAS students on this project

• Lillian Nguyen