As climate risks intensify and urban populations grow, strengthening the resilience of electricity distribution networks in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly urgent. This talk presents insights from collaborative efforts to develop data-driven tools for monitoring and improving grid performance in Accra, Ghana. Drawing on a first-of-its-kind, high-resolution dataset on distribution-level outages and voltage quality in the region, we introduce novel methods for mapping grid topology and estimating technical losses using edge voltage measurements. We also examine how extreme weather events - such as heat waves and heavy rainfall - intensify power disruptions, disproportionately affecting climate-vulnerable communities. By leveraging low-cost grid sensing, open-source tools, data analytics, and stakeholder engagement, this work offers actionable insights to guide equitable and climate-resilient grid planning in low-resource settings.

Speaker Bio:

June Lukuyu is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Washington affiliated with the UW Clean Energy Institute, a co-investigator with the eGUIDE initiative and a fellow with the Energy for Growth Hub and Kigali Collaborative Research Center. Her work centers on developing practical solutions for creating sustainable, inclusive, and integrated energy solutions for underserved communities using transdisciplinary approaches. Her expertise supports policymakers seeking equitable, community-focused energy transitions that combine technical and socio-economic perspectives. Dr. Lukuyu holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an MSc in Renewable Energy Systems Technologies from Loughborough University, a BS in Engineering Science from Smith College and certification in Data, Economics, and Development Policy.