Powering Africa’s future from the ground up

PhD candidate Dominique Barahira wants energy models to do more than identify technically optimal solutions. Through his research, Energy Systems Modelling for Africa: Case Studies from Rwanda and the East Africa Community, he is exploring how energy planning can respond to the realities, needs and ambitions of the people it is meant to serve.

Where the energy future becomes real

To understand East Africa’s energy future, Dominique is beginning far from the computer models.

“I would take them to a school, a health centre, a family kitchen and a local factory,” he says. “For me, these are the places where East Africa’s energy future becomes real.”

Reliable, affordable and clean energy can influence whether children can learn, health centres can provide dependable care, families can cook without armful smoke and local businesses can grow.

In Rwanda, Dominique is exploring two important changes: electric cooking and electric mobility. His research considers how these technologies could support healthier lives, stronger livelihoods and greater prosperity within local communities.

When the ‘best’ result isn’t the best pathway

Energy models can identify an appealing technical solution, but Dominique’s research challenges the assumption that this automatically makes it the right pathway.

A model might find electric cooking attractive, for example, but that raises practical questions.

Can households afford the appliances?

Is the electricity supply reliable?

Does the technology suit the meals people prepare?

“The results need to be contextualised to reflect the realities of the people and institutions expected to put them into practice,” he says.

The same applies to electric motorcycles. For riders whose income depends on daily transport, charging access, financing and reliability are not minor details.

They can determine whether a transition works at all.

Cooking, charging and the same electricity grid

One of Dominique’s biggest PhD surprises has been the complexity of bringing everyday context into modelling.

Cooking diner and charging a motorcycle battery may seem unrelated, but both can place demand on the same electricity system at the same time.

Understanding where and when that demand occurs is essential for deciding what infrastructure and investment will be needed.

“A transition needs to work for a household deciding how to cook dinner and for a rider whose motorcycle provides their daily income,” he says.

Turning resilience into possibility 

Dominique believes Africa’s capacity to shape its own energy future deserves far more attention.