Pictured: Practicum group. At center is José J. Villamil, Chief Executive Officer of Estudios Técnicos, Inc., in San Juan. Photo by Caleb Smith
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Special Edition” Series, we are highlighting the work of students who participated in the Spring 2022 Infrastructure Policy, Management, and Finance Practicum that focused on rooftop solar systems for low- and moderate-income households in Puerto Rico.
Infrastructure Policy, Management and Finance (IPMF) Fellowship
This policy proposal is authored by a group of students who participated in a Spring 2022 semester practicum as part of the Infrastructure Policy, Management, and Finance (IPMF) certificate program at Cornell University. This program provides students with specific knowledge and tools for working in the infrastructure space in planning, finance, project management, or operations post-graduation.
Among the requirements of the IPMF certificate is an extracurricular, infrastructure-related practicum. This semester-length project, sponsored by the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, includes one week of field work during which students have the opportunity to engage with a real-world infrastructure problem or challenge. Prior iterations of this practicum include the Brooklyn–Queens Connector streetcar (2017), air service in the Southern Tier of New York State (2018), broadband accessibility through public schools in Puerto Rico (2019), infrastructure resiliency investment in Puerto Rico (2020), and flood mitigation infrastructure in Ithaca (2021).
2022 White Paper Scope (Full Piece Attached Below)
Rooftop solar photovoltaics power a home in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, located in the mountainous interior of the island. Residential solar and energy storage installations will greatly enhance electricity reliability and resilience. Photo by Marcel Castro-Sitiriche
In Spring 2022, IPMF students were challenged with determining the federal, state, municipal, and NGO interventions necessary to enable low- and moderate-income (LMI) households in Puerto Rico–those with an income less than 80% of the Area Median Income–to install and operate rooftop solar systems. More specifically, students chose to assess the policy interventions necessary to provide equitable access to such systems among Puerto Rico’s LMI communities.
Eleven graduate students participated in the 2022 practicum, each pursuing degrees in public administration, regional planning, or engineering. This course consisted of a semester-long immersion in renewable energy and a week in Puerto Rico meeting with public officials, subject matter experts, and NGOs.
The resulting white paper contains several parts:
- Solar energy in Puerto Rico
- Solar in low- and moderate-income communities
- Guiding principles
- Proposal
- Outcomes
- Next steps
Authors
This policy proposal was prepared by the following master’s degree candidates in public administration, regional planning, and engineering: Caleb Smith, Besjon Tanuzi, Nina Borja, Mariam Fatima, Ben Katz, Norielis Perez, Waqar Akhtar, Sarah Carillo, Zahra Khuwaja, Jack Schwab, and Olafare Olagbaju. The faculty lead was John Foote. Also participating as a resource was Mark Fagan, Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Please direct any questions to John Foote at jhf25@cornell.edu.
Download the white paper here
