Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720;
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Aug 13;116(33):16308-16313. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1903610116. Epub 2019 Jul 29.
"Modern energy for all," an internationally supported initiative to connect populations to electricity services, is expected to help reduce poverty-induced vulnerabilities. It has become a primary strategy for meeting sustainable development goals, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. However, when electricity is supplied by a capacity-constrained grid to a resource-constrained population, the service quality can vary both spatially and temporally. This research explores the quality of electricity services based on a case study of Unguja, Tanzania. Using 1) open-ended interviews, 2) detailed electricity-systems monitoring, and 3) household surveys, we show how voltage quality varies significantly, even within highly localized settings. Fluctuations result in dim lights at best and power outages and broken appliances at worst, denying many Unguja residents the expected benefits of access to modern energy. By combining an extensive understanding of the physical system together with interviews and surveys, this work presents a unique mapping of voltage quality in a system that is financially and physically constrained and highlights the consequences of poor-quality service for poor users.
“人人享有现代能源”是一项得到国际支持的倡议，旨在让民众用上电力，预计该倡议将有助于减少贫困带来的脆弱性。它已成为实现可持续发展目标的主要战略，尤其是在撒哈拉以南非洲地区。然而，当由容量受限的电网向资源受限的人群供电时，服务质量会在空间和时间上发生变化。这项研究基于坦桑尼亚 Unguja 的案例研究，探讨了电力服务质量。我们使用 1）开放式访谈、2）详细的电力系统监测、3）家庭调查，展示了电压质量如何在高度本地化的环境中存在显著差异。波动导致灯光昏暗，最坏情况下还会出现停电和电器损坏，使许多 Unguja 居民无法享受现代能源带来的预期好处。通过将对物理系统的深入了解与访谈和调查相结合，这项工作对在财务和物理上受到限制的系统中的电压质量进行了独特的映射，并强调了服务质量差对贫困用户的后果。
