When Hurricane Beryl hit Houston’s Third Ward, Ed Pettitt witnessed firsthand how seniors and low-income families were left stranded without electricity, air conditioning, or even water—revealing how power outages don’t impact everyone equally. In this talk, he explores how energy poverty is a global crisis, with life-threatening consequences from underserved neighborhoods in the U.S. to remote communities abroad. Pettitt introduces community microgrids as a transformative solution that can decentralize power, lower energy costs, and give control back to local residents. Through a partnership between the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University and the Clean Energy Fund of Texas, he shares a bold, justice-centered vision for a future where no one is left in the dark. Ed Pettitt is a doctoral candidate in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University. He serves as a Graduate Research Assistant with the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice in Houston, where he focuses on equitable energy transitions and community resilience. Ed played a key role in securing a $156 million EPA Solar for All grant to expand community solar, energy efficiency, and microgrids. This initiative will benefit Historically Black Colleges & Universities, Minority Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges & Universities, and adjacent low-income, energy-burdened communities across the United States—serving as a model that can be replicated globally. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx