Leena Memon ’25

Major

Operations Research and Financial Engineering

Project Title

Increasing Chinese Renewable-energy Finance in Africa

Presentation Link

View Leena's Presentation

Certificate(s): Applications of Computing, Technology and Society

I studied the drivers and barriers for Chinese finance to renewable energy projects in Africa in collaboration with C-PREE at Princeton. We reviewed thousands of data entries from various databases to examine loans and investments from Chinese policy banks and foreign direct investment. After identifying gaps and limitations in current research, we interviewed 24 experts from the United States, China, and multiple African nations. We compiled a report on the state of renewable energy and electrification in specific African countries and connected information from these interviews to existing literature. Our findings helped identify factors that push and pull finance for renewable energy in Africa. Through this experience, I improved my data analysis and visualization skills by using the programs Python, R, and Tableau to create diagrams from databases. I also refined my communication and qualitative analysis skills by contacting experts, conducting interviews, and summarizing findings. I hope to continue learning and working in this intersection of technology, public policy, and finance to advance renewable energy technology and access to electricity.



Internship Year

2022

Project Category

Innovation and a New Energy Future

Organization(s)

Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (C-PREE), School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey

Mentor(s)

Denise Mauzerall, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public and International Affairs; Jing Liang, Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Public and International Affairs