Independent auditors of the world’s critical infrastructure

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), power quality and reliability (PQR) inequities and vulnerabilities remain a significant barrier to achieving equitable electricity access, especially in rapidly urbanizing areas. Poor PQR, a product of aging and lossy electrical grids, encompasses both frequent and long power outages and poor voltage quality and are anecdotally known to disproportionately affect low-income households and marginalized communities in urban spaces. To address PQR inequities, researchers and policymakers often rely on normative theories of energy justice, capability approach and multidimensional poverty index to interrogate how poor PQR impact and exacerbates domestic electricity vulnerabilities in urban spaces. While useful, these theories remain limited due to the absence of granular and robust PQR data to quantify and address PQR disparities.

Introducing our public dataset from Ghana's power sector: Leveraging low-cost sensors and open data to kickstart smart grid improvements in developing countries.

For the next four years, nLine will remotely collect power quality and reliability data and generate key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate to what extent large investments in medium voltage lines and grid protective devices achieved its targeted outcome: to reduce technical losses and the frequency and duration of power outages in the for customers outside of Dakar.