Executive Summary: March 10th PR Energy Week Community Action Challenge in Gurabo

Overview

Held on March 10th, 2026 at the Anfiteatro Argentina Hills at Universidad Ana G. Méndez (UAGM), seventy public and private industry leaders convened for the AEG Puerto Rico Energy Week Community Action Challenge. The purpose of this challenge was to: 1.) Align on a critical obstacle regarding energy, prosperity and resilience for Puerto Rico at the community level; 2.) Engage as cross sector teams to agree on a 90-day sprint and 12-month goal; 3.) Empower leaders to deliver the solution and present the outcome in 12 months.

Dr. Rolando García González, Dean of the School of Engineering, Design, and Architecture at UAGM provided opening remarks to help frame the discussion surrounding energy, prosperity and resilience for PR communities. H.G. Chissell, Founder & CEO, Advanced Energy Group, and Loraima Jaramillo, Executive Director, PowerBridge Advisory were co-facilitators for this Action Challenge.

Opening Remarks were followed by the Speaker Challenge, where each speaker provided a presentation that concluded with this completed statement: "At the community level, to achieve energy, prosperity and resilience goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is _________."

5 Key Themes

1. Establishing Stability in Energy Costs

A primary concern for educational and community leaders is the lack of local control over energy pricing. Addressing this involves mitigating the impact of global geopolitics on imported fuel costs and utilizing renewable energy to drive down expenses.

"At the community level, to achieve energy prosperity and resilience goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is: our lack of control on energy costs." - Dr. Amaury Malavé Sanabria, Executive Director at Complejo de Innovación Tecnológica, UAGM

2. Harmonizing Agency Data and Visibility

During emergency responses, information fragmentation between utility operators, municipal governments, and the Department of Health can delay aid to those who need it most. Creating a "shared visibility" within legal frameworks is essential to ensure that life-sustaining equipment remains powered during disasters.

"Lograr una visibilidad compartida entre agencias durante la respuesta a emergencias dentro de los marcos de ley establecidos." - Kermith Carrion, Key Account Manager, LUMA Energy

3. Shifting the Perception of Community Organizations

Community-based organizations often face the hurdle of being viewed as complications rather than assets. Overcoming this obstacle requires demonstrating that distributed solar and local mutual-aid networks, like "Vecinos SOLidarios," are active and vital parts of the solution.

"The misconception that we are part of the problem, by actively providing solutions." - Brenda Martinez, Sustainable and Community Energy Development Manager, Barrio Eléctrico

4. Prioritizing Vulnerable Populations through Integration

A recurring theme is the need to better identify and serve residents with life-preservation medical equipment. This requires aligning the different lists and criteria used by LUMA, municipalities, and state agencies to prevent delays in response during major hurricanes.

"The consequence of not addressing this obstacle is that when the next major hurricane hits, we will be at the same place we were after María - when approximately 2,975 people died..." - Brenda Martinez, Sustainable and Community Energy Development Manager, Barrio Eléctrico

5. Driving Technical Innovation and Efficiency

To achieve long-term resilience, the grid must be capable of managing a growing mix of small and large-scale renewable sources. Innovation in energy efficiency is presented as a necessary tool to improve system performance while keeping usage costs reasonable for the public.

"What about energy efficiency, can innovative solutions improve performance and keep energy usage at a reasonable cost?" - Dr. Amaury Malavé Sanabria, Executive Director at Complejo de Innovación Tecnológica, UAGM

Inspired by the statement provided by Brenda Martínez (Barrio Eléctrico), participants agreed to prioritize this selected obstacle statement: “The misconception that community distributed generation is part of the problem and not the solution.” Participants then designed, and pitched a 90-day sprint and 12-month goal to best address this critical obstacle.

15 leaders formed a volunteer Task Force to complete a 90-day sprint and 12-month goal:

Task Force Volunteers: Fernando Padilla, CSA Group, Edwin Rivera Acevedo, DDEC, Kermith Carrion, LUMA, Hendrick Ramirez, LUMA, Lucas Barreto, Let’s Share the Sun Foundation, Wanda Ríos, Asociación de Residentes de La Margarita, Brenda Martínez, Barrio Eléctrico, Arturo García, Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, Rolando Tremont-Brito, Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, Adam Eberwein, EarthSpark International, Cámilie Rivera-Dueño, Empowered by Light, Abimarie Otaño Cruz, Environmental Defense Fund, Jay Hasty, MAXeta Energy, Loraine Torres-Castro, Sandia National Laboratories, David Ortiz, SUN

To join this group of volunteers, please contact us at info@goadvancedenergy.com.

Conclusion

The PR Energy Week 26 Community Action Challenge convened academic leaders, utility managers, and community organizers to confront the structural barriers slowing the island’s energy transformation. The discussion underscored the urgency of mitigating dependence on imported energy, aligning fragmented interagency data for vulnerable populations, and correcting the misconception that community organizations are hurdles rather than essential solution providers. Stakeholders are advancing a 90-day sprint to establish shared visibility between LUMA, municipalities, and the Department of Health to protect life-dependent residents, while working toward a 12-month outcome of deploying a framework that recognizes community organizations as essential partners in providing roots-level energy solutions. This Challenge establishes a clear pathway for Puerto Rico to accelerate infrastructure solutions that safeguard public health through models like "Vecinos SOLidarios" and secure long-term energy prosperity.

Advanced Energy Group is a sponsor supported organization that facilitates quarterly challenges for high-impact stakeholders to deliver on health, energy and prosperity commitments for U.S. cities and vulnerable regions. To become an AEG Sponsor, learn more here: https://aeg.team/engage