Impact Spotlight
Solar workforce development and technical training for community leaders
4kW systems and a community microgrid serving four homes
Powering a community-owned hostel to support local economies and energy resilience
About
In the heart of San Juan, Puerto Rico, eight communities surround the Caño Martín Peña, a 3.75-mile tidal channel where inadequate drainage and sewer infrastructure have contributed to persistent flooding and environmental health challenges. For decades, residents have organized not only to restore the Caño and improve neighborhood infrastructure, but to ensure those investments do not lead to displacement.
The Fideicomiso de la Tierra del Caño Martín Peña (Fideicomiso) is the first community land trust created in the Caribbean and Latin American region. The trust’s 200 acres of land prevents the displacement of eight historically marginalized communities located alongside the environmentally degraded Caño Martín Peña, an urban channel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Collective ownership ensures that the environmental restoration of the Caño delivers environmental justice for families who have endured more than 50 years of frequent wastewater floods affecting their health, wellbeing, and material possessions. It guarantees affordable housing, helps prevent gentrification and involuntary displacement, and promotes equitable development.
Today, that work increasingly includes energy resilience. Puerto Rico continues to experience significant grid-reliability challenges and increasingly frequent outages, making locally controlled solar and storage especially valuable for homes, community institutions, and neighborhood businesses.
“For the communities of Caño Martín Peña, energy resilience means the preservation of our identity and cultural heritage, the creation of economic opportunities, and the building of a sustainable future for present and future generations, from and for our communities.”
HF Partnership
In partnership with the Honnold Foundation, the Fideicomiso will create a model of solar resilience in the Caño Martín Peña communities by installing resilient solar systems at four new affordable homes and a community-owned hostel.
The hostel system will lower operating costs while supporting local economic activity and providing a source of reliable electricity for the surrounding community during outages and emergencies. For residential units, installing PV systems will strengthen community energy resilience by expanding access to renewable, reliable, and sustainable energy, reducing residents' energy burden, and improving reliability during grid outages. By creating the first community microgrid in the Caño Martín Peña, the Fideicomiso aims to build an energy system that families can depend on, fostering resilience and solidarity while connecting with other communities in Puerto Rico and around the world.
In the News
