Live Panel – Monitoring and Evaluation of Off-grid Energy Systems in Developing Countries
Title: Monitoring and Evaluation of Off-grid Energy Systems in Developing Countries
Time & Date:
Thursday August 6th starting 10:00 AM (Eastern Time) ending: 11:15 AM (Eastern Time)
Abstract
As electricity access in developing countries continues to make significant gains, it is important to understand the impact these interventions have on the communities they are intended to serve. These impacts can be understood through monitoring and evaluation programs. Monitoring provides information on whether or not the intervention is performing as planned, and evaluation provides information on whether or not the intervention is achieving the desired results. In this panel, experts from industry and academia will discuss the approaches, methods, results, and future of monitoring and evaluation programs in the context of electrification.
Confirmed Speakers:
| Speaker | Profile | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Rebekah Shirley | Featured as an ESI Africa Power and Energy Leader in 2019 and named Africa Utility Week’s 2018 Outstanding Young Leader in Energy, Dr. Rebekah Shirley is the Chief of Research at Power for All, where she works to improve access to high-quality data and insights for the energy sector. Her work explores models for integrated energy planning and opportunities for catalyzing decentralized energy markets in sub Saharan Africa and South Asia. Rebekah earned her PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley where she also previously obtained her MSc. Energy and Resources and a MSc. Civil Engineering. She has over 12 years of experience in power systems research and analysis. Rebekah is a University of California Chancellor’s Fellow and has won grants from institutions such as the Department of Energy, the Mott Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation that support her work. Rebekah is also a Visiting Research Fellow at Strathmore University, in Nairobi, Kenya, where she lives. | Energy Access Dividends: Evaluating the Impacts of Decentralized Energy Solutions in sub Saharan Africa |
| Kat Harrison | Kat Harrison is Director at 60 Decibels leading the energy and impact work. 60 Decibels is a tech-enabled social impact measurement and customer intelligence company, spun out of Acumen. Using their Lean DataSM approach, they collect social impact and customer feedback data through phone surveys and other methods through 330+ trained 60 Decibels Researchers in 35+ countries speaking directly to customers, employees, or beneficiaries in local language, to understand their lived experience. Kat developed the sector’s first impact benchmark through the Lean Data work in energy; 60 Decibels’ flagship sector. She was previously Associate Director of Impact at Acumen and Director of Research & Impact at SolarAid where she developed and managed the award-winning research and impact work there. Kat Chaired the Impact Working Group of the global off-grid energy sector association (GOGLA) from 2013-17, leading the development of the standardised Impact Metrics for energy access. | Impact measurement and customer insight |
| Aran Eales | Aran Eales is a Research Associate in the Energy for Development research group at the University of Strathclyde, currently working as solar microgrid developer on a Scottish Government funded project in Malawi. His research experience and interests are centred on off-grid energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, including techno-economic modelling, business models, market assessments and social impact, as well as productive uses of energy and modern energy cooking systems. He has a background in engineering and spent 10 years in the small wind and solar PV private sector before joining academia. He is currently completing his PhD on Solar Microgrid Social Enterprises. | A Toolkit Overview and Lessons from the Field in Malawi |
| Dr. Aparna Katre | Aparna is an Associate Professor and Cultural Entrepreneurship Program Director at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her research interests are at the nexus of entrepreneurship, strategy, and design for social change and sustainable development. With a focus on emerging economies, she studies women entrepreneurship for poverty alleviation and issues at the nexus of energy, water, and food in remote communities, particularly examining the sustainability of village energy solutions. She has provided leadership in the areas of strategy, organizational change management, business process improvement, and program management at Global Information Technology consulting firms. | Lessons from Measuring Sustainability of Community-Owned Energy Solutions in India |
Note: Please also see the details on the pre-recorded SESDC panel: Humanitarian Technologies and Projects at the 2020 PES GM in the official program.