Research & Events
TECRE collaborates with Northeastern University to conduct cutting-edge research on battery modules that supports circular energy economies, while also hosting educational events that teach youth and community members the fundamentals of renewable energy systems.
Transforming Research into Community Impact
Creating a Circular Battery Economy™ requires more than technology - it requires people. Through education, research, and community engagement, TECRE is preparing the next generation of innovators, strengthening local communities, and building the knowledge and workforce needed to create lasting change in Puerto Rico.
Research & Innovation
Advancing the science behind second-life battery technologies.
✓ Electrochemical & battery research
✓ University research partnerships
✓ Battery diagnostics & testing
✓ New battery repurposing technologies
✓ Research publications & innovation
Education & Workforce
Preparing the next generation of clean energy professionals.
✓ Student internships
✓ Workforce development
✓ Educational learning modules
✓ Technical training
✓ Symposiums & webinars
Community Impact
Turning research into real-world solutions for Puerto Rico.
✓ Community workshops
✓ Yellow Zone demonstrations
✓ G-8 community partnerships
✓ Energy resilience projects
✓ Community engagement
Electrochemistry Education & Student Partnerships
TECRE’s research and community programs are strengthened by educational partnerships that connect electrochemical science with practical renewable-energy applications. CHEM 5614: Electroanalytical Chemistry, taught at Northeastern University by TECRE founder Dr. Eugene S. Smotkin, introduces the electrode processes, interfacial phenomena, mass-transfer principles, reaction kinetics, and electroanalytical methods that provide important scientific foundations for battery testing, diagnostics, and energy-storage research.
The Boston ECS Student Chapter also collaborates with TECRE in an effort to expand accessibility to experiential electrochemistry and renewable-energy education. Chapter members have supported outreach programs for underrepresented youth in Massachusetts and will contribute to future TECRE programs that introduce community members, students, businesses, and prospective partners to the testing, triaging, reconditioning, and repurposing of the NiMH battery modules used in CEIBA systems.
Symposia & Milestones
Upcoming
Designing a Circular Battery Economy™ for Puerto Rico
Symposium Date: November 16, 17, or 18, 2026 — Exact date to be confirmed
Location: Puerto Rican University Live Stream to Northeastern University
Conference Details: Symposium Overview and Agenda
Past Milestones
2026
📅 February 5th, 2026 — Journal Publication
Article: Design for Reuse, Remanufacturing, Recovery, and Recycling in Puerto Rico
🔗 DOI: 10.65569/LAMM4453
2025
📅 October 10th, 2025 — Energy 2025 Conference
Activity: TECRE attended the Energy 2025 Conference.
📍 Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico
🔗 Conference Website: Energy 2025 Conference
2023
Sep 2023 – ECS Interface magazine
Publication: TECRE’s educational modules were published in the Electrochemical Society Interface magazine.
Citation: ECS Interface, 2023, 32 (3), 97–98.
Publication: ECS Interface Article
June 16th, 2023 – ACS Northeast Regional Meeting (ACS NERM)
Presentation: Implementation of an electrical generator kit to demonstrate electronics, magnetism, and renewable energy fundamentals at the middle- and high-school level
Poster: 498
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Conference Website: 2023 ACS Northeast Regional Meeting (ACS NERM)
May 29th, 2023 – 243rd Electrochemical Society Meeting
Presentation: Turning the Wheel Through the Ages
Poster: L01-2419
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Poster Abstract: Turning the Wheel Through the Ages
Conference Website: 243rd Electrochemical Society Meeting
📅 May 3rd, 2023 – Energy, Electronics & Education
Educational Outreach: TECRE hosted the Energy, Electronics & Education event at Northeastern University, where students from the Roxbury Youth Program participated in an experiential learning program using TECRE-developed educational modules to explore renewable energy concepts.
📍 Location: Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
News Highlights & Op-Eds
TECRE’s founder, Dr. Eugene S. Smotkin, was interviewed in CNN’s August 2026 report, “In Puerto Rico, even when it doesn’t rain, it pours,” which examines how prolonged drought and aging infrastructure have converged to create what he described as a humanitarian crisis. The strain on essential services underscores the need for stronger community resilience.
TECRE aims to bolster emergency preparedness for the island’s most vulnerable populations by supplying CEIBA units, which utilize repurposed hybrid vehicle battery modules to provide dependable backup electricity for essential household needs when the grid fails.
Professor Eugene S. Smotkin is a regular op-ed contributor for El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico’s largest and most prominent newspaper.
He leverages his background as a university professor and scientist to analyze Puerto Rico’s socioeconomic landscape, political status, infrastructure challenges, and culture.
Opinion pieces that are interwoven with TECRE’s mission to enhance energy equity across Puerto Rico’s populace through the development of a Circular Battery Economy™ are linked below:
- El 25 de julio y los caminos que debemos abrazar / July 25 and the Paths We Must Embrace (July 2026): An op-ed emphasizing that regardless of whether Puerto Rico pursues statehood, independence, or remains a commonwealth, its primary focus must remain on building a reliable electrical grid and cultivating educated professionals, scientists, and engineers. (Español | English)