From <i>Cucubano</i> to <i>Cucubano</i> : Facilitating decolonial energy justice through the praxis of <i>autogestión</i>

Concerns about the climate crisis have become widespread globally, raising the need to transition away from fossil fuels to other forms of energy production. In pursuing this path, energy transitions are often framed as practical solutions designed to modernize and maximize energy production and promote development and progress. Such framings justify top-down technological projects that frequently reinforce energy colonialism, perpetuating dynamics of dependency and slow violence. Thinking from one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world, the Caribbean, this piece reflects on the “ Cucubanos ,” a solar energy model from the community autogestión organization Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. It argues that even while using similar technologies (e.g. solar panels), bottom-up initiatives differ fundamentally from top-down projects by prioritizing communal efforts rooted in a decolonial form of energy justice. These initiatives not only contribute to the decarbonization and decentralization of the energy system, they also play a pivotal role in democratizing and decolonizing Puerto Rico's future. Drawing on one year of participant observation, ethnographic field notes and semi-structured interviews, this article showcases the practical dimension of autogestión -driven transformations, illustrating how it serves both as an immediate option for frontline communities trapped in colonial dynamics and as a proof of concept for an alternative future. This reflection contributes to the understanding of the pluriverse of transitions by offering insights into a bottom-up practice that exists in the Caribbean amidst the climate crisis.