Dartmouth Students Tackle Energy Transition Questions

(Photo courtesy of Brandon Zhao)

Paddling the Mekong: The Downstream Impacts of Energy Infrastructure

In December 2025, during Winterim, Evan Lai '26 (economics and psychology double-major), Brandon Zhao '26 (engineering sciences major), and Erica Mao ‘28 (quantitative social science major) set off on a multi-day journey through China, Laos, and Vietnam to investigate the impacts of hydroelectric dams in the Mekong Basin.

The group traveled the Nam Ou River by canoe, stopping in Nong Khiaw and Sop Chien before reaching Luang Prabang, and witnessing firsthand how the dams have reshaped both the landscape and daily life. "The damming has significantly altered the natural flow of the river, which has disrupted local infrastructure and traditional ways of life," Lai noted.

In Ban Tha Khen, a small fishing village, residents told the students that the fish population has decreased due to the dams. Families who once subsisted entirely on fishing now raise chickens, farm, and charge fees to transport goods upriver from the dam instead. Three dams along the tributary also turned once-simple river travel into a logistical challenge.

"The three dams also make transportation much harder for the local population, as now they need to portage across dams with land vehicles, and upstream travel is made much more difficult by the fast rapid water that results from damming," Zhao explained.

Finishing their trip, the group flew to Ho Chi Minh City to see the Mekong Delta and how the river system ultimately culminates. Their final takeaway pointed to a clear tension between who decides how a river gets developed, and who bears the impacts.

"Downstream communities bear the consequences of upstream development decisions, with livelihoods dependent on river health increasingly threatened by altered hydrology beyond their control," Lai remarked.

(Photo courtesy of Camry Gach)

Modeling Energy Efficiency for Better Affordability

Data modeling is another powerful tool that informs our understanding of energy system impacts and solutions. Camry Gach '27, an engineering sciences major, used building energy models to better understand the issues that low-income households in New Hampshire face in heating and cooling their homes.

Working with postdoctoral fellow Dr. Lynée Turek-Hankins, Gach learned to run energy simulation software and process data from a synthetic building stock database—a system built on real household data—to generate results that help illuminate how households make energy-related decisions.

"Combined, these programs allow me to simulate the energy consumption, bill spending, and indoor temperatures of multiple representative low-income households in New Hampshire," Gach explained.

Gach presented her findings to members of the Keller Lab, drawing on 2024 Census Household Pulse Survey data showing that roughly 41% of low-income households in NH forgo basic living necessities to pay for energy.

Ultimately, this kind of data modeling gives policymakers and program designers exactly what they need to close the gap—a clear, data-driven picture of which households to target with efficiency upgrades and cost-offsetting programs.