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--></style><title>Oct. 20 Seminar-"Electrification in Africa: A
Systems</title></head><body>
<div>Environment and Sustainability Seminar Series</div>
<div>Sponsored by the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment
(LFEE)</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>"Electrification in Africa: A Systems
Approach"</b></div>
<div><b>Katherine Steel</b></div>
<div>Technology and Policy Program</div>
<div>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>Wednesday, October 20</b></div>
<div><b>12:00 - 1:30 pm</b></div>
<div><b>E40-496</b><br>
</div>
<div><font color="#000000">There are currently more than 1.5 billion
people without access to electricity and one third of them live in
Africa. Without access to modern energy services, most of these
people are unable to escape a cycle of extreme poverty.<br>
<br>
While infrastructure planning in industrialized countries utilizes
numerous modeling and decision-making tools, the developing world
relies primarily on demand forecasting and case studies of "best
practices". Electrification in rural Africa is a complex
system-consisting of government networks, private solar dealers,
informal businesses, and remote populations. New methods are
needed for tackling this problem.<br>
<br>
A systems approach allows us to ask the right questions and identify
the principal drivers for a complex problem. Discussion will
center on two of these elements: the deployment of photovoltaics and
the potential effects of urbanization. The focus is not on
solutions but on a new way to think about the
problems. </font><br>
<font color="#000000"></font></div>
<div>_________________________________________________________________</div
>
<div>Part of a series of brown bag talks on issues of energy,
environment, and sustainability sponsored by the MIT Laboratory for
Energy and the Environment. Bring your lunch - cookies and
drinks will be provided.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing
list, please contact Karen Gibson, kgibson@mit.edu.</div>
<div><br></div>
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<div><font
color="#000000">_________________________________</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Karen L. Gibson</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Program Assistant</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">MIT Laboratory For Energy and the
Environment</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">77 Massachusetts Avenue,
E40-469</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">(1 Amherst St., E40-469 - for DHL and
FedEx)</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Cambridge, MA 02139 USA</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Tel: 1 (617) 258-6368; Fax: 1
(617) 258-6590</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">http://lfee.mit.edu</font></div>
<div><font
color="#000000">http://globalsustainability.org</font></div>
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