nLine

We are excited to be one of Climate Change AI's 2023 Innovation Grantees in partnership with June Lukuyu at the University of Washington. This project, based in #Ghana, aims at a cost-effective solution involving machine learning algorithms to detect and localize distribution grid losses, particularly in the low-voltage networks where most issues occur. Identifying such issues promptly can better enable grid operators in Ghana and elsewhere to improve #gridreliability and effectively meet power demand, lowering both costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions. More details on this project at the intersection of #energy, #climatechange, and #AI are here: https://lnkd.in/ghmcNKea

Nice visual summary of this exciting project from EPC contractors EM-ONE Energy Solutions. I’ve had the privilege of working on the data and impact element of this project with Mamoud S. Kabba Esther Ade-Williams Selma Scheewe Lincoln Chivinge and with amazing support from nLine and Access to Energy Institute. Lots more to come!

Maria Ashraf Beshara thank you for highlighting the need for adaptive #datacollection methods in monitoring #gridreliability and developing robust grid reliability datasets.

We're excited to support the Sierra Leone Healthcare Electrification Project and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)'s efforts to bring clean #energyaccess to hospitals! 🔆 🏥 🇸🇱 Crown Agents, nLine, and the Access to Energy Institute have been collaborating in providing & installing smart meters on six major hospitals on #SierraLeone - monitoring energy consumption by power source and evaluating the energy needs of the facilities over an extended period of time. The live tracking of consumption data via the open-source data platform #Prospect - a collaboration between A2EI and GET.invest - allows for the subsequent evaluation of individual load profiles and energy demand. The data analysis lets us gain a better understanding of how to both calibrate #solar solutions for individual clinics and dimension solar systems specifically geared towards the entire #healthcare sector. We will be sharing the results of our analysis here in the near future - watch this space for more! 📊 🔆 Ministry of Health & Sanitation - SL / Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office / EM-ONE Energy Solutions #SustainableEnergy #UniversalHealthcare #SDG3 #SDG7 #SDG13 #opensource #data #StopGuessing #renewables #solarenergy #DataDrivingEnergyAccess #PartnershipsForTheGoals #ClimateAction #LeaveNoOneBehind

With the launch of Renaissance Philanthropy by Tom Kalil Kumar Garg Jasnam Sidhu Parth Ahya it got me thinking about why we need more science in policy & more scientists in government. Why? Because of impact. I explain 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽 with shoutouts to nLine EED Advisory Ember Our World in Data Publish What You Fund Natural Resource Governance Institute Afrobarometer Project InnerSpace Prayas (Energy Group), Pune The Energy for Growth Hub

Are we on the path to sustainable #healthelectrification in sub-Saharan Africa? In the effort to improve #electricityaccess globally, there has been little focus on quality of the resulting electricity. Across the thousands of already-electrified health facilities, widespread anecdotes speak to chronically poor power quality and reliability.  This #policybrief highlights policies that can bridge power quality and reliability data gaps and standards, contributing to more sustainable healthcare electrification investments. The findings - from 8 weeks of remote sensing at 15 public health facilities in #SierraLeone - show meaningful variations in electricity quality and reliability at electrified on and off-grid health facilities that differ based on facility type, available energy systems, access to backup energy sources, and geographic location within Freetown’s bulk-grid network. Policy Recommendations: ✔ Support high-resolution, standardized frameworks for measuring dimensions of electricity access in health facilities. ✔ Conduct rigorous research to understand how power quality and reliability impact health facility operational effectiveness and healthcare service delivery. ✔ Move away from “install and forget” towards “install, monitor, and maintain”. ✔ Harmonize electricity data with existing public health facility national datasets to inform holistic health sector electricity interventions. #electricityquality #electricityreliability #SDG7 #remotesensing #electricityaccess International Growth Centre Crown Agents https://lnkd.in/e6ESf6gf

A year ago we installed sensors to remotely measure power quality and reliability at 6 already electrified public hospitals in #SierraLeone that were set to receive new solar PV systems. Now that these systems have gone "live", we can see the difference in power outages, voltage stability, and generator usage. Stay tuned for detailed results and insights from pre and post-system installation!

Oh, the places our sensors go! 🌍 Last month, GridWatch sensors found themselves front and center stage at the Human Needs Project's 10th anniversary event in #Kenya and with a #USAID delegation at Gongoni Health Centre. Daniel Kammen #remotesensing #electricityquality #electricityreliability #healthcareelectrification

Over the last decade - and especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic - sub-Saharan Africa has seen a rise in national and multinational healthcare electrification initiatives. But "electrification" isn't a binary state and we've seen significant disparities in actual usable electricity at health facilities powered by grid and off-grid, renewable and non-renewable energy sources. For the last 12 months we've been #remotemonitoring power quality and reliability at 15 public health facilities in #SierraLeone. This blog highlights a few initial insights from the first months of remote sensing: 💡"Electrified" is not a binary state ➡ The quality of power can vary widely, from less than one power outage per day and voltage levels within nominal range to three outages and 18 hours without electricity each day. This variation at already electrified health facilities demonstrates the importance of monitoring electricity quality after initial electricity access. 💡 There is seasonal variation in power quality and reliability ➡ In contexts where renewable energy sources can vary seasonally - such as hydropower - we see stark shifts in both the frequency and duration of power outages at Sierra Leone's grid-connected referral maternity hospital as time shifted from the end of the dry season (late May) to the start of the rainy season (early June). 💡 Power quality and reliability vary across subregions in Freetown’s bulk grid network ➡ A base level of service – in terms of supplying power within nominal voltage range and of reasonable reliability – is not provided equally for all utility-paying health facilities in the nation's capital city. This project demonstrates how remote, real-time, longitudinal collection of power quality and reliability measurements can serve as a foundational tool in evaluating and independently auditing healthcare electrification programs. https://lnkd.in/gsEV7fed International Growth Centre Crown Agents

Poor electricity quality (voltage spikes and sags) and reliability (power outages) are major obstacles to the delivery of quality healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, quality and reliability have lacked the policy attention paid to electricity access in large part because of the absence of affordable methods for collecting these measurements at scale. Metrics like the number of electricity connections and data collection using recall-based surveys—neither of which accurately captures on-the-ground realities of quality and reliability—remain the standard approach for measuring electrification progress towards #SDG7. With support from the International Growth Centre and in collaboration with Crown Agents, we set out to remotely measure electricity quality and reliability at 15 public health facilities in #SierraLeone. We show that remote, real-time, longitudinal data collection provides valuable, independent auditing of electrification at healthcare facilities. This work represents a proof of concept that could enable innovation in measuring the performance of energy systems at-scale and in setting regulatory standards for ensuring sustainable healthcare electrification. This report presents data collected over an initial two-month period. Stay tuned for an updated report with insights and findings from 12 consecutive months of data collection at 15 health facilities. https://lnkd.in/gwrUJFba