Puerto Rico Experience
ENER 37002 - Puerto Rico: Road Map to a Renewable Future (1-credit, S/U)
Course Description:
After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, the island's energy infrastructure was destroyed. The lack of electricity in rural areas for months following the storm contributed to thousands of post-hurricane deaths. A continuous stream of powerful storms continues to threaten the antiquated electrical grid. As the island continues the struggle for reliable power, there are calls for replacing the fossil-fuel-based centralized grid with renewable microgrids, using abundant solar, wind, and water resources. This seminar will explore the complications of such a seemingly straightforward solution.
ENER 37002 consists of six classes and a spring break immersion in Puerto Rico. Students will learn about the opportunities and challenges that exist when communities, frustrated with governmental agencies, attempt to take matters into their own hands. Topics will include technological issues along with economic, political, historical, health, and ethical considerations unique to Puerto Rico.
In weekly classes before the trip, participants will meet with members of the Puerto Rican diaspora; review a non-technical survey of energy options and the social and economic ramifications of each; and examine their own lifestyles in regard to choices made daily that affect the environment.
The week on the island will be split between San Juan and the mountain town of Adjuntas. The main goal will be to gain insights from those caught in the struggle for energy equity, the hard choices they must make, and the complicated, sometimes messy path they are trying to forge. In Adjuntas, students will engage with the staff of the award-winning community center, Casa Pueblo. This organization, led by Arturo Massol Deyá and his father, Alexis Massol Gonzalez, has united much of the community around environmental stewardship. Other learning opportunities will include visits to historical and cultural sites, interactions with local students, a solar installation, and conversations with community leaders in San Juan and Adjuntas.
This seminar may count as the experience for completion of the Energy Studies Minor capstone requirement.
Course Enrollment and Online Application:
Twelve students will be selected to participate in this course. ND Energy pays all expenses. Notre Dame sophomores, juniors, and seniors are invited to apply, although preference will be given to Energy Studies Minors. Students must be available to attend the seminar class on Mondays, 6:30-8 p.m. Anyone who has participated in the past is not eligible.
The application is open until Monday, November 6, at 9:00 a.m.
For More Information
To learn more, read about the most recent trip in Spring 2023 and view the "What Would You Fight For" video and story from Spring 2022.
The story below introduces the inaugural group of students who traveled to Puerto Rico for the seminar in 2019.
For questions or more information, please contact Anne Berges Pillai.
