Dr Luke Blunden presented “Why does energy demand grow at different rates in similar mini-grids?” in the ‘Energy Poverty’ special session of the Evolving Cities Conference 2021. The research presentation focused on key aspects of electricity demand growth in off-grid mini grids. Lessons from the six operational Energy for Development (e4D) mini grids in East Africa were presented to explain the socio-economic dynamics and factors for different rates of load growths in different projects.