The Technical University of Kenya is currently hosting, two international students from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. The graduate students, Ms. Valentina Tomasso and Mr. Eduardo Curio, undertaking a Masters programme in Energy Engineering, for Sustainable Development, are part of a student exchange initiative, curtesy of a memorandum of Understanding between the two universities – TU-K and Politecnico di Milano. They are under the supervision of Prof. Alex Mumbo, from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
During an interview, the two students explained that the collaboration had given them the opportunity to work on their project/thesis at the Technical University of Kenya. They were most interested in Africa because its need for the production and use of green energy continues to grow by the day.
“We are more focused on Africa, because the African continent is predicted to have the most electrical demand growth,” said Miss. Valentina Tomasso.
“As such in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and National Goals like for Kenya Vision 2030, there is a need to focus on projects that allow for the continent, particularly Kenya, to have more green energy than rely on traditional fuels. We are currently working on different projects, but both have a strong interest on how to, electrify rural areas in a sustainable way,” she added.
Their research will explore sustainable electrification pathways, including optimization of grid expansion and mini-grid solutions to support access to clean energy.
“We are most interested in energy modelling, and we will have the opportunity to visit some energy production plants and develop a tool that energy policy makers will use to provide electricity to the people that currently don't have it, and also use the tool to figure out how to do it precisely,” emphasized Mr. Eduardo Curio.
They expressed enthusiasm to not only contribute and grow academically but also to learn from the local context, culture, and energy systems.
The partnership between TU-K and Politecnico di Milano is built on five key pillars: student exchange, knowledge sharing, joint research and innovation, academic collaboration, and capacity building. The students will be at TU-K for a period of two to six months, after which they will present their outcomes. Their stay highlights TU-K’s growing international collaborations and commitment to contribute to new knowledge globally.
