image: This photo was taken during an interview in a low-income household, which shows one of several broken light-bulbs found in the home. Almost every household interviewed declared a broken appliance -- from smaller devices, such as lightbulbs and fans, to larger ones, such as refrigerators and washers. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Veronica Jacome.
Researchers examined the quality of electrical services in Unguja, Tanzania, via 151 household interviews, 62 open-ended interviews, and monitoring of the island's electrical grid for 2 years with voltage measurements, and found that voltage quality varied significantly for households connected to the grid, such that extreme electricity fluctuations resulted in lights that were too dim to be useful as well as broken appliances and power outages, suggesting that low-income Unguja residents do not reap the benefits of modern energy services.
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Article #19-03610: "Power quality and modern energy for all," by Veronica Jacome et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Veronica Jacome, University of California, Berkeley, CA; tel: 630-512-1262; email: v.jacome@berkeley.edu
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences