I joined the CES team in October 2023 and I am based in the Western Isles. In my role I support CES Outer Hebrides activities by working closely with the Community Power Outer Hebrides consortium; supporting the final stages of the RIPEET project; and I am part of the team for the development of the Islands Centre for Net Zero project.
This post allows me to continue achieving my goals by working in a field I am passionate about, which includes the transition of the current energy system to decarbonisation, democratisation, and fair energy for all.
Over the last ten years, I have worked in countries supporting communities to move towards the energy transition and advocating for equitable access. My work locations have included remote rural communities in Latin America and West Africa, and I have also worked on a collaborative project to reduce energy poverty in Spain. I recently completed four years’ work in Mongolia fighting climate change and air pollution, including supporting the development of an inclusive energy efficiency market for housing in the capital city, and the improvement of energy efficiency of public buildings in rural areas. Thanks to that work, I was awarded an honorary citizenship of the rural province of Arkhangai and the housing market project was recognised as the best Sustainable Consumption and Production (UNEP) business model in the Asian region by EU Switch Asia, where the World Bank promotes it as an example to replicate in the region.
I also contributed to the development of renewable energies in Spain and UK, working on the design and implementation of grid connected PV solar and biomass district systems. I was a University Lecturer in the Masters course for Renewable Energies in Electrical Systems at the Carlos III Madrid University, and in the online course, Off-Grid Renewable Energies from The Institute for Sustainable Energy.
My background is Energy Technologies Engineering (MSc) in Carlos III Madrid University, and Specialisation in International Community Development Projects by the Catalonian Oberta University and Spanish Red Cross. I’m a member of the Official Association of Industrial Engineers in Madrid, and a member of Som Energia, the first renewable energy generation and consumption cooperative in Spain.
I was also a volunteer in the University Sustainability Advisory Commission, and in Engineers Without Borders Spain. Later I volunteered at Energía Sin Fronteras (Energy Without Borders) where I also worked. My passion for living in a more sustainable way made me join a community-supported agriculture (CSA) group in Madrid and start volunteering on organic farms during my holidays. Lately, I’ve been volunteering in ecosystem restoration projects including that in Hinterlands Forest at Findhorn Ecovillage. This last experience made me fall in love with Scotland and its nature.
I enjoy outdoor sports such as hiking, running, swimming, kayaking, and to collaborate in the cultivation of vegetation and the restoration of ecosystems. So, what better way to do it than to be in the Western Isles?!
I’m very happy to live in the Western Isles and contribute to CES’ role in community sustainable development!
beatriz.maroto(at)communityenergyscotland.org.uk
Phone: 07932 979116
