Developing a contextualized design framework for rural electrical infrastructure

Renewable energy systems show great promise in addressing issues of electricity access in non-electrified regions of the world. However, their long-term success and sustainability are by no means guaranteed. The socio-political context of communities has a great bearing on the willingness to adopt or accept technological solutions, arguably more than the technical merits of the technology itself. Designing energy systems in such contexts requires a systematic study of non-technical factors and their influence on technical aspects of system design. The central objective of this research investigation is to understand how rural energy systems should be conceptualized, designed, and planned so that they best address the needs of the communities for which they are designed. A contextually appropriate design framework is conceptualized that combines technical and nontechnical disciplines in a mixed methods approach for the design of rural remote energy infrastructure. The proposed framework will draw upon elements from ethnography, sociology, engineering analysis, and decision making for contextually-appropriate decision making. Descriptive strategies for contextual analysis through self-reflection, observation, and interviews throughout the project development process are provided. The framework is applied in a pilot project involving the design of renewable energy systems in the Navajo Nation, and the lessons learned provide the basis to fine tune the conceptualized framework. The framework finds that programmatic aspects of technological deployment – including notions of productive use, focus on institutional continuity, support networks, and trust building – are key to deploying enduring energy systems. Equity explorations of energy equity also provide insights that illustrate how positionality, role, mandates, and perceptions affect the achievement of energy equity objectives. The finalized conceptual framework is expected to be a systematic and descriptive process which incorporates societal contexts into mathematical design formulations and decision making. It should guide design practitioners in approaching the design of rural remote energy infrastructure so that it aligns most closely to both the technical site conditions as well as the human capabilities, constraints, and expectations of the communities for which they are being built.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Chattopadhyay, Abhiroop

Contributors dc:contributor

• Witmer, Ann-Perry
• Haran, Kiruba
• Dominguez-Garcia, Alejandro
• Dong, Roy
• Bhatt, Rakesh
• Kaufman, Brett

• Contextual Engineering
• Rural Electrification
• Off-grid Solar Systems

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Abhiroop Chattopadhyay

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124376

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124376