Environmental Design and Planning doctoral student Zachary Gould is part of Virginia Tech's largest cohort of Fulbright U.S. Student grant recipients in university history.
Zach will research energy consumption patterns of families living in homes connected to microgrids in Arusha, Tanzania. Microgrids are miniature versions of the electric grid. Gould hopes to design a microgrid system that will allow for energy autonomy in remote villages, paving the way for more efficient policies in Tanzania.
He emphasized in his proposal that his role lies in facilitating the collaborative design of homes where constant feedback from those who will live in it and those who could design and build it locally will be essential.
If one can be built, ten can be built and connected together into a cooperative, self-reliant community and transform the narrative on electrification in Tanzania.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is sponsored by the U.S. government and designed to increase mutual understanding.
