VCU news

By Joan Tupponce

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico endured catastrophic power issues in the wake of hurricanes in 2017 and 2022. This summer, Virginia Commonwealth University student Amany Bouali had the opportunity to learn more about the aftermath of the destruction and how it affected the lives and livelihood of residents of the Caribbean island.

Bouali, a junior, is double-majoring in mass communications and business, with concentrations in journalism and finance. She is now well-versed in the issues facing Puerto Rico’s energy grid after her summer internship with the U.S. Department of Energy through its Minority Education Institutions Student Partnership Program.

Bouali worked in Washington for the department’s Loan Programs Office, which provides funding for energy infrastructure projects in the United States. She received support from VCU’s Internship Funding Program, which offers awards that help students defray the expenses associated with summer internships.

“I would not have been able to complete the internship without the aid,” she said. “I am extremely grateful for the assistance.”

Bouali’s work included Project Marahu, involving the construction of two solar photovoltaic farms and two standalone battery energy storage systems in Puerto Rico.

“Puerto Rico deals with lots of power outages and has very little clean and reliable energy,” she said. “The facilities will help provide clean, reliable and affordable power throughout the island.”

Most of the territory’s transmission and distribution system collapsed in September 2017 as Hurricanes Irma and Maria punished the area, and again in 2022 after Hurricane Fiona. Some residents went without electricity for almost a year. 

During her 10-week internship, Bouali put together a briefing book for senior staff that contained political, social and financial research. The Loan Programs Office team relied on it during stakeholder meetings and media interactions.

“I read through tons of comments on the loan procedure from NGO groups and individuals in Puerto Rico that spoke to the options they thought would be better for the island and if they were pro or con on Project Marahu,” she said, noting that her work gave her more knowledge of “how climate change disproportionately affects underrepresented people.”

A highlight of her experience was influencing a speech delivered by U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

“I suggested how the language could be changed a little to give it a more community-based tone,” Bouali said. “I was happy to see my suggestions reflected in her speech. I feel like I had a cultural impact on the office.”

Bouali also introduced geographic information systems technology into the planning stages of loans to help the team envision how new renewable projects can replace dirty energy sources in Puerto Rico.

Bouali praised the guidance of Emma Zahren-Newman, her mentor in the Loan Programs Office.

“She guided me to work on projects to help me gain direction,” Bouali said.

A native of Northern Virginia, Bouali has always had an interest in different cultures. She chose VCU because of the school’s diversity.

“Ethnically, I am from Tunisia. When I first came to VCU, I found there were student organizations for almost every ethnicity,” she said. “That’s something unique about VCU.”

She was glad to shed light on cultural sensitivities during briefing meetings with the team traveling to Puerto Rico.

“I wanted them to go with a Puerto Rican mindset,” she said. “I wanted them to understand the day-to-day struggles of someone in Puerto Rico dealing with power outages and climate change, etc.”