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Michael John

Lecturer

College of Engineering and Technology

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Biography

Dr. Michael John is a Lecturer at the College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam. He holds a Ph.D. in Renewable Energy through a sandwich program between University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), as well as an M.Sc. in Renewable Energy and a B.Sc. in Electromechanical Engineering from UDSM.

With over 15 years of experience in teaching, research, and consultancy, Dr. John has developed expertise in energy resources, conversion technologies, policy, utilization and emissions, sustainability, alternative fuels, and energy efficiency. His research includes work on adsorption refrigeration systems for off-grid applications and alternative fuels for internal combustion engines.

He has been involved in several consultancy projects, including the assessment of access to energy in refugee-hosting areas in Kigoma Region and the evaluation of biomass residues for energy and soil improvement in various regions of Tanzania - both for the World Food Programme (WFP). Additionally, he participated in the physical verification of solar PV installations under the Sustainable Solar Market Packages Project in Sumbawanga Region for the Rural Energy Agency (REA).

Research Interest

  • Renewable energy technologies and off-grid energy solutions
  • Energy conversion, utilization, and efficiency improvement
  • Energy policy, planning, and sustainability
  • Alternative fuels and clean combustion technologies
  • Biomass energy, residue utilization, and clean cooking solutions
  • Adsorption refrigeration systems and climate-energy linkages

Contacts

Email:

Projects

Adsorption Refrigeration System

Dr. Michael John served as a team member in the development of a full-scale adsorption refrigeration system, a project funded by the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Multidisciplinary Research Grant for the 2019/2020 academic year. The project focused on designing and constructing an energy-efficient cooling system suitable for off-grid applications, particularly in rural and underserved areas. His contributions included system design, component selection, and performance evaluation, with an emphasis on applying renewable energy principles and improving thermal efficiency. The project also aimed to explore sustainable refrigeration solutions that reduce reliance on conventional electricity and promote environmentally friendly technologies.

Publications

  1. John, M., Kimambo, C.Z.M, Nydal, O.J. and Kihedu, J., (2021), Performance of Calcium Chloride-Ammonia Adsorption Refrigeration System. Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology, 41(1), pp. 39-49. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/tjet/article/view/235957
  2. John, M., Kimambo, C. Z., Eikevik, T. M., Nydal, O. J. & Kihedu, J. (2020), Potential of Adsorption Refrigeration System for Off-Grid Cooling Applications Renewable Energy and Sustainable Buildings (pp. 935-944): Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18488-9_78
  3. John, M., Nydal, O. J., Kimambo, C. Z. M & Kihedu, J. (2019). Thermal Performance of a Single Bed Activated Carbon-Ammonia Adsorption Refrigeration System. In International Conference on Applied Energy, Sweden, available at http://www.energy-proceedings.org/thermal-performance-of-a-single-bed-activated-carbon-ammonia-adsorption-refrigeration-system/
  4. John, M., Kimambo, C. Z. M., Eikevik, T. M., Nydal, O. J. & Kihedu, J. (2017), Potential Application of Commercial Refrigerants as Adsorbate in Adsorption Refrigeration System. In ISES Solar World Congress, available at http://proceedings.ises.org/paper/swc2017/swc2017-0180-John.pdf, doi:10.18086/swc.2017.28.12