During my internship with 17 Energy, I developed a community business model for the Viento Azul Biobío offshore wind project in Chile, supporting the company’s mission of enabling inclusive and sustainable energy transitions in Latin America. I explored and designed locally rooted models of community benefit sharing, including three scenarios: a fixed annual fund; a production-linked fund; and community ownership through equity shares. These models were informed by stakeholder consultations with local educational institutions, fishery communities, regional policy experts, and industry organizations such as MERIC. The Biobío region has a long history of extractive energy projects with minimal community involvement; my work aimed to reverse that pattern by embedding community voices early in financial structuring and impact modeling. This contributed to 17 Energy’s broader strategy of designing inclusive models that can be replicated in emerging markets.

As an MPA student concentrating in Energy and Environment at Columbia SIPA, I drew on training in stakeholder analysis, Sustainable Development Goal baseline assessments, and project finance modeling. I combined qualitative methods—semi-structured interviews with community stakeholders in Spanish—with quantitative frameworks such as cost–benefit matrices, levelized cost of energy implications of revenue sharing, and internal rate of return sensitivities. My coursework in renewable energy project finance proved especially relevant when modeling how different ownership structures affect financial viability and community returns. I used Excel to build dynamic models incorporating risk factors like capacity factors, operations and maintenance costs, and inflation-adjusted benefit flows. I also applied impact evaluation tools, using the Triple Bottom Line framework to quantify potential social, environmental, and financial impacts. My prior experience with orphaned wells and aging infrastructure informed my understanding of regulatory complexity and project implementation evaluation—crucial elements in designing long-term offshore wind projects. This internship allowed me to integrate policy, finance, and data-driven skills in a real-world setting focused on just energy transitions.

One major challenge was navigating complex social dynamics in the Biobío region. Many communities historically distrust large-scale energy projects because of displacement and environmental degradation. In interviews, local leaders expressed skepticism about profit-sharing promises. I learned to listen deeply, adapt the presentation of our models to local concerns, and build trust through transparency. For example, instead of using abstract financial ratios, we translated benefits into tangible outcomes such as the number of local jobs or school improvements. Another challenge was balancing the technical constraints of offshore wind development with the flexibility needed for community benefit models. Designing a fund linked to energy production introduced volatility due to price fluctuations and downtime risks. I worked with the 17 Energy team and external experts to model scenarios that blended stability and responsiveness. Language was also a barrier, particularly in technical Spanish. By collaborating with local university students and leveraging AI tools, I became more confident navigating bilingual meetings with community leaders and government officials.

This internship was transformative. I gained hands-on experience in offshore wind development and developed a deep appreciation for the social dimension of climate solutions. The intersection of finance, policy, and community engagement is where real innovation occurs, and I feel more committed than ever to working at that nexus. I learned how to translate global Sustainable Development Goal frameworks into local strategies, co-create solutions with stakeholders, and navigate uncertainty in project design. Social license is not an afterthought; it must be built from the ground up. Conversations with local leaders in Concepción and regional experts showed me the power of humility and patience in participatory development. Professionally, I refined my ability to build business models with a social purpose, communicate across cultural and institutional boundaries, and adapt theoretical models to real-world constraints. Personally, I left Chile with a greater sense of responsibility and optimism for shaping energy systems that serve both people and the planet.