Energy and mobility

The future of energy and mobility can learn from current African examples. Our study of the context and drivers helps us identify new challenges and opportunities. CMU-Africa is focused on driving innovation in the field of energy and mobility research.

Energy research and education ranges from off-grid energy products to national grids and transmission lines, as well as their interaction with economy and environment. Mobility research examines ties to environment, safety, jobs, and macroeconomics, and explore the implications of electric mobility and data platforms. Leveraging global collaboration at Carnegie Mellon, faculty and students are working on data analytics, integrated renewable distributed energy sources, power electronics configurations, innovative controls and signal processing, data acquisition and fusion, and the accompanying cyber-layers.

Energy areas at CMU-Africa

  • Student at whiteboard

    Digital transformation for infrastructure enterprises

    CMU-Africa data scientists, software engineers, and electrical engineers are collaborating with industrial counterparts to identify how a data-driven electrical utility can lower costs and improve reliability through enterprise architecture, data fusion, and targeted measurement. Loss detection and resolution, optimized staff deployment, predictive maintenance, and intelligent power system devices are being considered.

    Data lake architectures, customer relations management, data analytics, distribution system engineering are skills being used by the team.

    Faculty involved: Barry Rawn, Eric Umuhoza

  • Man doing battery analysis

    Circular economy of batteries

    CMU-Africa is investigating the repurposing battery cells from electric mobility devices and solar energy systems using data analysis and innovative new management systems. The goal of this project is to increase employment and lower energy storage costs by supporting the transition to a more circular economy of energy storage devices and materials.

    Physical modeling, machine learning, power electronics, and materials science are tools being used by the team.

    Faculty involved: Barry Rawn, Sarath Tennakoon, Jay Whitacre

  • Devices on table

    Power system measurement

    Coordinating live and historical information about the variations of critical electric power variables can link them to better decisions. This requires empirical data analysis techinques, well founded theory, and awareness of the grid integration issues around renewable energy conversion systems and electric vehicle chargers. CMU-Africa collcaborates with international partners and local experts to devise new measurement systems and learn and advise about the consequences of off-nominal power system behaviour. Applications including evaluating the impacts of power quality on meters and efficiency of power delivery, estimating the state and condition of equipment, and studying events to avoid future disruption.

    General power theory for 4-wire systems, parameter estimation, communications protocols, electronics, and power electronics are all tools used by the team.

    Faculty involved: Barry Rawn, Sarath Tennakoon

  • Charging portal

    Electric mobility ecosystems

    As part of the downward trend in energy storage and embedded systems costs and a push toward decarbonization of transport, a rapid spread of electric mobility is occuring across Africa. From policy to new business models to vehicle tech, CMU-Africa students and faculty are studying how an ecosystem of providers, users, and supporters is forming around electric mobility, as electric mobility itself lowers transport costs and enables new mobility patterns.

    Techoeconomic analysis, interviews, and data science are tools being used by the team.

    Faculty involved: Ahmed Biyabani, Barry Rawn, Sarath Tennakoon

  • highway

    Data platforms for smart mobility

    The ability to track mobility electronically is opening new horizons for optimization and investment, providing smart use of data is planned and executed.

    Techoeconomic analysis, interviews, and data science are tools being used by the team

    Faculty involved: Ahmed Biyabani, Barry Rawn

  • Minigrid on farm

    Rural transformation

    Agriculture, water, transport and off-grid energy systems are effecting a transformation that can benefit from investment and planning. Providing irigation, post harvest loss solutions, and links to urban markets and centralized systems means designing systems for the practical present while charting future milestones like grid encroachment, integration of minigrids and crop export and diversification. CMU Africa students and faculty are studying the role of remote sensing, macroeconomic tracking, and system modeling for developing solutions at the nexus of water, energy, and transport.

    Technoeconomic analysis, interviews, and data science are tools being used by the team.

    Faculty involved: Barry Rawn, Paulina Jaramillo

    • Student research

    CMU-Africa students can pursue an energy systems concentration as part of the MSIT and MSECE degree programs. In addition, students sometimes have the opportunity to conduct independent research projects in the energy field, or as part of internships. 

    Study energy systems at CMU-Africa

    Alumni career trajectories

    CMU-Africa alumni interested in energy research have gone on to apply for Ph.D. programs and started their own companies with the help of CMU-Africa’s Industry Innovation Lab.

    Energy and Embedded Systems Club

    The Energy and Embedded Systems Club is a coalition of students striving to tackle real-world challenges in energy systems and embedded systems and propose sustainable and adequate solutions. The club's work comprises a number of research projects and making connections with the wide engineering and researchers’ community with the ultimate goal of implementing our ideas and learning-by-doing. Learn more about the Energy and Embedded Systems Club by following them on Twitter.

    Partner with us and get involved

    Please contact Faith Rugema or Patricia Musiime to learn about how to get involved with energy research at CMU-Africa or support us through a partnership. 

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