Sandra Chavez, U.S.
“A resilient and energy-secure world is one where people not only buy electricity, but also produce it. Ideally, they would take it to the next level, and sell electricity to their neighbors as well.”
Women in Development: This series focuses on the inspirational Tetra Tech women that take strides to make the world a more inclusive place.
Sandra is a senior associate, renewable energy at Tetra Tech. For the past two years at Tetra Tech, Sandra has provided policy design, finance and project development support in several renewable energy and climate change projects including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)’s Sustainable Islands Platform project. As an engineer, she analyzed the opportunities of waste management and energy sectors to enable the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) objectives in 11 Caribbean islands.
“The IDB project is very significant to me because we were on the ground while the hurricane season was happening. We witnessed how the mindset of international communities and countries changed dramatically. It was rewarding to be part of a project that put more emphasis on the resiliency of the region,” says Sandra.
Growing up in Mexico, Sandra saw the realities of how people lived in rural areas. As part of her undergraduate education, she visited these communities and helped municipalities develop micro-businesses, which sparked her interest in helping communities move forward.
“By simply giving farm-owners access to solar energy, it can help reduce poverty in the community and empower them to run successful businesses.” says Sandra. “The energy sector has the platform to transform people’s lives.”
Sandra enjoys the challenge of working in a male-dominated field. She has a strong support system and has been empowered by female mentors, who have encouraged her to work hard and to never stop asking questions.
“For any little girl interested in becoming an engineer, I want her to know that it is okay to be curious. It is that curiosity and confidence in herself that is going to make her stand-out and be successful at any job,” says Sandra.
For Sandra, a resilient and energy-secure world would be one with decentralized energy. She believes a peer-to-peer trading platform is a more sustainable and cost-effective approach because farmers can sell their excess electricity to local users, responding to the local demand and bringing profits for their families. Through her work at Tetra Tech, Sandra is playing a part in achieving an energy-secure world.
