Henry Louie

Over 600 million people lack access to the electricity grid. This form of energy poverty disproportionately afflicts those living in developing countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. Closer to home, tens of thousands of households, mostly on tribal lands are without grid electricity. Achieving universal electrification through grid extension is optimistically decades away, and in many rural areas may never occur. This talk describes approaches to providing off-grid electricity solutions in the form of renewable energy-powered minigrids, microgrids, energy kiosks, and solar home systems. Dr. Louie will draw upon his experiences in Zambia and the Navajo Nation to explain the technology, development approaches, barriers and opportunities for rural electrification.

Biography:

Henry Louie is the Father Francis Wood, S.J. Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seattle University. Dr. Louie is a teacher, researcher, and practitioner of electricity access in rural, under-served off-grid communities. He has taught courses on electricity access at Copperbelt University (Zambia) as a Fulbright Scholar and at Navajo Technical University (Navajo Nation). His textbook, Off-Grid Electrical Systems in Developing Countries is used by universities around the world. Dr. Louie co-founded KiloWatts for Humanity, a non-profit organization providing off-grid electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Louie previously served on the IEEE PES Governing Board, IEEE Smart Village Steering Committee, IEEE Scholarship Plus Initiative Steering Committee, and as Chair of the IEEE PES/IAS Power Africa Steering Committee. He holds degrees from Kettering University (B.S.E.E.), University of Illinois (M.S.), and the University of Washington (Ph.D.).

Dr. Louie is the recipient of the IEEE PES Outstanding Power Engineering Undergraduate Educator Award,  Region 6 Outstanding IEEE Member who Promoted Global Humanitarian Projects Award, Kettering University Civic Achievement Award.