By Olufolahan Osunmuyiwa, Global Partnership & Project Manager, & Margaret Odero, Data Analyst, at nLine
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), persistent challenges in power quality and reliability (PQR) have deepened electricity inequities, especially in rapidly urbanizing regions. Aging and inefficient electrical grids result in frequent outages and poor voltage quality, disproportionately affecting low-income households and marginalized communities in cities. Despite awareness of these inequities, the lack of granular PQR data has made it difficult for policymakers to address these disparities effectively.
In many cases, researchers rely on energy justice frameworks, the capability approach and multidimensional poverty index, to understand how poor power services exacerbate domestic electricity vulnerabilities. But without realtime, granular data, these frameworks remain limited when they aren't backed by robust data that can capture the spatial and temporal distribution of PQR issues.
Bridging the Gap: A New Framework for Energy Justice
At nLine, we are working to bridge this gap with a new conceptual framework that integrates direct PQR measurements with energy justice theories. This approach, detailed in a forthcoming paper, combines normative theories of justice, capability approach and multidimensional poverty index with power systems metrics such as SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index), SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index), and voltage quality measurements.
The aim of our framework is to quantify how PQR inequities impact electricity access and domestic capabilities, and how these inequities intersect with broader poverty indicators. We illustrate the connections between poor PQR and reduced domestic capabilities, while recognizing that multidimensional poverty often exacerbates vulnerabilities to power outages.
Energy justice frames energy poverty and deprivation as forms of injustice, with numerous studies highlighting inequalities between various social groups. Normatively, the three-energy justice (EJ) tenets (distributive, recognitional and procedural) provide valuable perspectives on how electricity injustices are distributed, can be recognized, or remediated (Sovacool and Dworkin, 2015). We believe PQR measurements can enable the quantification of the three tenets of the energy justice framework:
- Distributional Justice: By cartographically showing the distribution of PQR inequities, we can unmask where disparities exist, making it easier to identify underserved areas and guide resource allocation.
- Recognition Justice: PQR data brings visibility to marginalized communities that may not typically have a voice in energy discussions, ensuring that these groups have a voice in energy policymaking.
- Procedural Justice: PQR data also provides a means for these communities and stakeholders to contest or reimagine electricity distribution, fostering a more participatory approach to decision-making based on solid, transparent data.
EJ concepts are often combined with capability approaches (CA)- a normative framework that emphasizes individuals’ freedoms and opportunities to achieve the life valued. For households, poor PQR can severely limit essential activities like cooking, lighting, and charging devices -all which are elementary functionings required to achieve wellbeing. By examining how PQR affects domestic capability, we can understand how inequities in electricity provision impact people's ability to perform daily tasks that are fundamental to their quality of life.
Multidimensional poverty index (MPI) is often leveraged to analyze the intersections of electricity inequities with other dimensions of poverty (like income, education, and housing quality) that contribute to energy vulnerability (Bouzarovski & Simcock, 2017). The global MPI constructs deprivation profiles for households based on 10 indicators spanning education, standard of living and health to show who is poor, where they live and what deprivations debar people from attaining the wellbeing they deserve (Global Multidimensional Poverty index 2023). By linking PQR data with multidimensional poverty index, we reveal the deep-seated disparities in electricity provision that disproportionately affect low-income and marginalized communities.
Illustrating our Framework - A case study of Accra
To illustrate our framework, we use one year (2023) of remotely sensed PQR data from Accra, Ghana (from our recently released GridWatch Accra Dataset) to reveal PQR disparities across 14 Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) districts in Accra. Below we provide a snapshot of some of our findings.
Justice Dimensions of Power Quality and Reliability
Our findings reveal stark disparities in PQR across the city. ECG Districts such as Korle-Bu and Roman Ridge experience shorter and less frequent outages, while Nsawam, Ablekuma, and Bortianor face prolonged and frequent interruptions. Additionally, voltage quality disparities are evident, with some neighborhoods experiencing consistent undervoltage, significantly impacting household appliance performance.
Intersection of Power Quality and Reliability and Multidimensional Poverty
Our analysis also uncovered a troubling intersection between power quality and poverty. Neighborhoods with higher levels of multidimensional poverty experienced longer and more frequent outages, as well as poorer voltage quality. These households experienced up to 10 times more outage hours per month than those in low-poverty areas.
The Impact of Power Quality and Reliability on Domestic Capabilities
Our findings show that during peak demand hours in Accra, households in high-poverty neighborhoods encountered unusable power 58% of the time, compared to 30% in lower-poverty areas. This disparity undermines the ability of these households to perform basic functions, deepening socio-economic disparities and impeding their capacity to benefit from emerging energy transition solutions like e-cooking.
Our study's unique contribution lies in the utilization of PQR measurements to systematically document large-scale spatial and temporal electricity vulnerabilities in marginalized and non-marginalized communities. This ability to quantify disparities validates previous theoretical insights in the energy justice literature, particularly the observation that informal or marginalized communities, often mischaracterized as "unproductive" or "fringe" spaces, consistently lack access to quality energy infrastructure. Furthermore, this approach enables energy justice frameworks in Africa to transcend the case study-based methods dominant in the literature. By leveraging PQR measurements, researchers can identify vulnerability patterns and analyze how these are shaped by broader politico-economic dynamics.
Policy Implications for Energy Justice and Transition
Our findings have several important implications for energy justice and equitable energy transitions in SSA.
- Targeting Resource Allocation: By identifying PQR inequity hotspots through granular data, policymakers can prioritize infrastructure upgrades in areas most in need.
- Ensuring Inclusive Transitions: As SSA countries work toward decarbonization and electrification, including the deployment of electric vehicles and distributed generation technologies, it is vital to ensure these innovations do not worsen existing disparities. Incorporating PQR data into energy transition plans can help assess regional infrastructure readiness and ensure that investments are made in an inclusive manner.
In sum, our framework not only deepens the understanding of how power quality inequities affect marginalized communities but also offers practical insights for building more just and inclusive energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa.
By leveraging real-time PQR data and connecting it with the principles of energy justice, we believe policymakers can design energy transitions that support equity, resilience, and sustainability for all communities