Asencio-Yace, Joan I.

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Sustainable community aqueducts as models for community microgrids: an in-depth case study of Corcovada Arriba's governance and management practices
(2020-05-29) Asencio-Yace, Joan I.; Frey, William J.; College of Business Administration; Pérez-Lugo, Marla; Vega-Torres, José I.; Quiñones-González, Luz E.; Ortiz-García, Cecilio; Department of Business Administration; Pérez-Pinedo, Yakaira
In Puerto Rico, microgrids are seen as community resilience enhancements. However, the efforts for their development have tended towards the inclusion of robust technologies while social factors are not equally addressed. This research sought to fill this gap, stating that community aqueducts can inform community microgrids based on their infrastructural analogy. Thus, we carried out an in-depth case study of the governance and management practices of Corcovada Arriba, an isolated rural community managed aqueduct in the Municipality of Añasco, Puerto Rico. We found that the community’s empowerment, democratic structures, and justice-oriented principles sustain the trust and social ties between neighbors. In terms of the external environment (governmental and third sector), an institutional ecosystem that supports and works in favor of and with the community, is essential for its sustainability. We suggest that these social factors are going to be primordial for the development of sustainable community microgrids in Puerto Rico.