Electricity is an integral part of human society; it drives sociotechnical and economic developments while wielding the ability to destroy human society – without it, life comes to a grinding halt, while a slight excess of the same can lead to the wanton destruction of valuable property and loss of lives. It is the quality of electricity that determines whether electricity will sustain or destroy property and life.
Most Kenyans have at one point or another experienced a power disruption of some sort; with those who have yet to, probably being among the many Kenyans who either still depend on biomass (e.g. firewood, charcoal and agricultural wastes) or use it as a substitute for expensive electricity. These include rural communities, the urban poor, and the informal sector.
This study focuses on Kisumu’s electricity distribution network for several reasons but mainly so because 1) it is one of the city’s most critical infrastructures that often gets affected whenever disasters, both acute and chronic, strike and 2) the effects emanating from all manners of electricity disruptions, be they planned or unplanned, often have the adverse effect of affecting, both directly and indirectly, the physical, environmental, social, and economic aspects of the city and Kenya at large.
The overall objective of this research is to generate empirical findings that establish the resilience of Kisumu city to electric disruptions and how this can be enhanced. Thus, in order to realize this objective, the following primary research question is posed: How can the resilience of Kisumu city to electricity disruptions be enhanced? To answer this question, a mixed methods case study research design of an exploratory nature will be adopted.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Problem Statement
1.2 Research Objectives and Questions
1.3 Significance of the Research Study
2 Measuring Urban Resilience to Electricity Disruptions
2.1 The Sociotechnical and Socioecological Aspects of Urban Resilience
2.1.1 Sociotechnical Resilience
2.1.2 Socioecological Resilience
3 Research Design, Methods and Data
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Case Study Design
3.3 Data Collection
3.3.1 Quantitative Data
3.3.2 Qualitative Data – Semi–structured Expert Interviews
3.4 Sampling
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The research aims to establish the resilience of Kisumu city to electricity disruptions and identify strategies to enhance this resilience. The primary objective is to evaluate the technical robustness of the electricity distribution network alongside the socioecological vulnerability of the residents to frequent power quality problems.
- Technical resilience of the electricity distribution network in Kisumu.
- Socioecological vulnerability of urban residents to electricity disruptions.
- Assessment of power quality problems and their drivers.
- Development of strategic mitigation measures for urban infrastructure.
Auszug aus dem Buch
1 Introduction
When Thomas Edison came up with the first electric utility system, in 1879, his intention was to compete against gas for customers. The idea at the time was to make electricity a commercial alternative for the energy historically provided by gas, steam, hydraulics, direct heating and cooling, and light.1 Two centuries later, electricity has become an integral part of human society; it drives sociotechnical and economic developments while wielding the ability to destroy human society – without it, life comes to a grinding halt, while a slight excess of the same can lead to wanton destruction of valuable property and loss of lives. It is the quality of electricity that determines whether electricity will sustain or destroy property and life.
Ideally, a.c. voltage should always be supplied via a resistance free distribution network, as a perfect sinusoidal wave, with an amplitude and frequency that is either preset by (inter)national standards or system specifications.2 Unfortunately, this is hardly ever the case, in real life that is. This reality can be attributed to the fact that all vertically integrated traditional powers systems (consisting of generation, transmission, distribution and, retail sub–systems) are always exposed to disturbances. Disturbances, regardless of whether they emanate from within or without the power grid, cause power quality problems (or electricity disruptions as is the preferred expression in this study). For example, a blackout, a type of quality problem, is likely to be experienced in the events that flash floods, strong winds, or landslides bring down a transformer; a power surge, also a power quality problem, is likely to be experienced when lightning strikes or when a rodent gets into a transformer. All types of electricity disruptions, no matter how minute, are hazardous. For example, power surges can fry every piece of equipment connected to the power line, plastics included, and have been known to cause destructive fires while power outages can lead to heavy economic losses.3
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides the historical context of electricity usage and defines the problem of power quality disruptions as a critical challenge for societal development and safety.
2 Measuring Urban Resilience to Electricity Disruptions: Explores the theoretical frameworks of sociotechnical and socioecological resilience, introducing models for quantifying engineering performance and community vulnerability.
3 Research Design, Methods and Data: Details the mixed-methods case study approach, specifying the usage of archival records, questionnaires, and expert interviews to collect and analyze data on Kisumu's infrastructure and residents.
Keywords
Urban resilience, electricity disruptions, sociotechnical resilience, socioecological resilience, Kisumu, power quality, vulnerability assessment, distribution network, infrastructure, mitigation, mixed methods, case study, energy demand, power outages, disaster risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research?
This research focuses on enhancing the resilience of Kisumu city's electricity distribution network and its residents against frequent power quality disruptions and outages.
What are the central thematic fields?
The core themes include sociotechnical system performance, community-based socioecological vulnerability, and infrastructure resilience against natural and human-induced disturbances.
What is the primary research objective?
The primary objective is to generate empirical findings that establish the current resilience level of Kisumu city and provide a framework for enhancing its capacity to withstand and recover from electricity disruptions.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study employs a mixed-methods case study approach of an exploratory nature, combining quantitative archival records with qualitative semi-structured expert interviews.
What subjects are covered in the main body?
The main body covers theoretical definitions of urban resilience, specific methods for measuring system performance (IER), and assessment models for community vulnerability (IVR) applied to the Kisumu context.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include urban resilience, electricity disruptions, power quality, Kisumu, sociotechnical systems, socioecological vulnerability, and infrastructure safeguarding.
How does the IER approach differ from traditional reliability measures?
Unlike traditional reliability indices that focus only on interruption duration, the Integrated Engineering Resilience (IER) approach combines robustness, rapidity, and performance loss to provide a comprehensive metric of a system's resilience.
Why is Kisumu chosen as the focal point for this study?
Kisumu is chosen because it frequently experiences significant electricity disruptions and represents a rapidly urbanizing environment in East Africa, making it a critical case for studying infrastructure resilience.
How does the study address the socioecological impact of power failures?
It utilizes an Integrated Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Model (IVR) to quantify how infrastructure disruptions affect human lives, economic activities, and community welfare.
- Quote paper
- B W Namano (Author), 2017, Enhancing Urban Resilience to Electricity Disruptions, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/371577
