Kanyon Martinez, a member of the Bishop Paiute Tribe, was about to graduate from Bishop Union High School in Bishop, California, last year when he heard about an internship possibility with Grid Alternatives — a nonprofit organization that brings solar installations to low-income communities, including tribes.
Solar presents a huge opportunity for Native American tribes in the Southwest — but growth is contingent on the right combo of federal, state and tribal solar policy and funding.
U.S. Bank extends its partnership with GRID Alternatives, a national leader in making renewable energy technology and job training accessible to communities who don’t have access to solar through a $100,000 grant.
This written piece, accompanied by photos, highlights the partnership between the Ute Mountain Ute tribe and GRID Alternatives Colorado. which is helping the tribe move towards energy sovereignty with a large-scale solar array project. The project includes 3,500 solar panels that will offset about 1,515 tons of greenhouse gas emissions by year one.
Funding for new tribal facility and residential solar energy projects, including matching funds for Department of Energy grants, will help further tribal energy security and resilience, workforce training and build tribal energy sovereignty. TSAF received more than 40 applications totaling over $7 million in requests for tribal solar projects from dozens of applicants, demonstrating the need and excitement for renewable energy technology and workforce development in tribal communities.
Unseasonable forecasts were expected by Prof. Fred Schwartz and fellow scientists; over thirty years ago, they tried to warn the world about torrential rains, cyclones, record-breaking heat, wildfires, and untimely freezes.
Native American tribes have a long history of energy exploitation, especially with extractive industries like coal and petroleum, which has created fossil fuel-dependent economies. As the clean energy transition has accelerated, many tribes are turning to renewables to strengthen their communities and economies while cutting energy costs.
