Social Impact Project for Machine Learning Specialist to Support Renewable Energy in Africa

Project Description and Impact

African cities face the world’s most expensive and unreliable energy services. And these are getting progressively worse as rapid urbanization and climate change place our weak infrastructure under increasing strain. In developed countries, increasing penetration of cheap but intermittent renewable energy is upending utilities’ business models and threatening the reliability of electricity grids.

Our organization aims to address both of these issues by adding intelligence to an appliance that is already in many homes: the electric water heater. By optimizing each water heater around its homes behaviour, we can significantly reduce electricity bills. By timing when it heats based on when electricity on the grid is more abundant, we can help avoid blackouts and utilize renewable energy when it is available.

Data science plays a key role in the development and design of our product. Using data and insights from our existing fleet of internet-connected devices, our advanced custom simulation rig and our extensive research, the Machine Learning Specialist will create a powerful model to predict the thermodynamic characteristics of hot water systems.

We have several data science and machine learning problems which we are tackling. If the above does not appeal to you, but you are a highly proficient machine learning specialist, please reach out for further details.

Requirements:

Strong statistical and / or mathematical foundation, for example with a degree towards Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science or Data Science
Proficient in Python and machine learning
Analytical, structured thinker who is able to communicate concisely
Foundational knowledge of thermodynamics and electronics is a plus