Mobilizing power quality and reliability measurements for electricity equity and justice in Africa

Abstract

In sub-Saharan Africa, urban electricity inequities manifesting as poor power quality and reliability (PQR) are prevalent. Yet, granular PQR data and frameworks for assessing PQR inequities and guiding equitable electricity interventions remain sparse. To address this gap, we present a conceptual framework that leverages energy justice, capability and multidimensional poverty theories alongside concepts relating to power systems to quantify PQR inequities in sub-Saharan Africa. To demonstrate our framework and using 1 year’s worth of remotely sensed PQR data from Accra, Ghana, we assessed the distributive scale of PQR inequities, explored how multidimensional poverty exacerbates these inequities and examined the impact of PQR on households’ domestic capabilities. We found wider patterns of PQR inequities and a link between poor PQR and neighbourhoods with higher multidimensional poverty. We conclude that using remotely sensed data combined with justice and capability frameworks offers a powerful method for revealing PQR inequities and driving sustainable energy transitions. Poor power quality and reliability are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Osunmuyiwa et al. find that areas with this issue in Accra overlap with those experiencing multidimensional poverty and have more unusable power during peak periods than others.