IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2019 - 54

paper, could address this obstacle, with emphasis in
increasing community capacity and self-determination.

Energy Transitions
The construction of large power plants, combined with
an interconnected transmission and distribution infrastructure, were the economical choice to provide electric service in the 20th century. Most of the power-plant
fleet in Puerto Rico requires updating. However, the
conundrum after Hurricane María is whether to replace
one-to-one each power plant's capacity or to begin an
ordered transition to the use of renewable energy. Since
the local, government-owned power utility is broke,
investment in new large power plants will be private. Private owners would seek limits on the growth of the distributed energy model. A confrontation, instead of an
organized transition, seems likely.
One way to avoid this clash is to have community
microgrids that do not totally disconnect from the utility
grid. For example, in normal mode a community might
have its own DERs and also use a block of "pre-arranged"
utility energy. In "emergency mode," when utility power is
not available, the community would be capable of operating as a microgrid, in stand-alone mode (albeit at
reduced demand level). This "solar community" approach
makes the utility a partner with communities, reduces
the cost of the microgrid, and at the same time yields
more resilient and sustainable communities.
The distributed approach requires a new role from
users. To minimize the use and cost of energy storage,
matching local generation and demand requires
increased flexibility in electric energy use. Such actions
would be coordinated depending on available energy
resources (e.g., level of sunshine on a particular day).
An automated system would signal user-controlled
equipment to adjust electricity demand to appropriate
levels, a strategy already implemented through demand
response programs in various states. Users become the
first and most important DER. Community microgrids
would need to establish demand response agreements
as part of their DER portfolios.
Researchers at UPRM have concluded that Puerto
Rico's energy challenges are mainly social. Evaluating
energy technologies and strategies through a sociotechnical framework would help avoid past mistakes,
and allow the integration of diverse perspectives to
ensure continuity and optimal solutions. A more distributed electric power infrastructure would also require
non-partisan, holistic planning and execution of appropriate energy policies. Such policies would need to be
guided by an integrative socio-economic development
vision, in order to optimize the investments made in the
new infrastructure. This perspective shift requires a new
vision in capacity building. The social nature of energy

challenges requires a broader than usual workforce
development to tackle social acceptance, perceptions,
policy, and governance, among other areas, and to collaborate with disciplines beyond engineering.
The authors have engaged in diverse workforce
development since 2002: K-12, college level, existing
and retired utility employees, professional organizations, communities, and government employees (municipal, legislative, state). There is much to learn from the
local context, from previous energy policies and initiatives, and from engaging diverse stakeholders. Capacity
building efforts should not be condescending. Participants should be treated as partners in a two-way process, not as passive beings that "need to be educated."
To truly achieve lasting impact, capacity building from
the bottom-up is key. The knowledge received from participants will yield more effective energy strategies and
projects capable of withstanding state government
changes. Thus, an assessment of local knowledge is
essential before embarking in any workforce development effort.

Context-Dependent Challenges
Challenges in the power sector are context-dependent
and go beyond technical and economic aspects. Natural
and human-made disasters call for increased levels of
resiliency and security through local, renewable energy
resources. To face those challenges, there is a need to
change the criteria for planning, designing, building,
operating, and maintaining electric infrastructures. This
article presented a transdisciplinary view of communitybased DERs, their opportunities and challenges. Social
science and engineering students collaborated in evaluating the potential for solar communities and microgrids
in Puerto Rico. Partnerships among the university, industry, and communities are needed to realize a future with
more community-based DERs and to further local socioeconomic initiatives such as solar communities in support of greater energy resiliency and security.
DERs have economic, social, and environmental benefits with the potential for sustainability. This requires
that traditionally passive consumers become active
energy players. Industry stakeholders need to rethink
electric power systems and energy use patterns to maximize benefits from new, local energy alternatives. This
requires thinking beyond cost-benefit to quantify the
benefits of resiliency and sustainability options. Since
conventional power systems were not designed for intermittent renewable energy, a broad discussion of the
energy future is needed.
To effectively work in a solar community, more community activities should be organized to maintain
or improve the sense of community and social capital. Communities can take advantage of the various

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

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SEPTEMBER 2019

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2019