Time - USA (2022-04-25)

Tribes Get

Serious

About Solar

The very firsT uTiliTy-scale solar planT on

tribal land in the continental U.S. began operating

fve years ago. Built on some 2,000 acres on the

Moapa River Indian Reservation in Clark County,

Nevada, the 250-megawatt project provides enough

electricity for over 100,000 homes each year; all

power generated is sold some 300 miles away to

the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

In the next two years, two more Moapa-led utility-

scale projects will come online—together, the addi-

tions will be among the biggest yet on tribal lands.

While the frst project benefted from a

$2.38 million grant from the Department of Ag-

riculture, these solar farms likely would not have

been possible without a slew of partnerships with

energy companies. The outcome is millions of dol-

lars in tribal revenue and steady clean-energy jobs.

Increasingly, tribes across the country have started

to think big about solar. In a rush to accelerate clean

energy, private companies and entrepreneurs are

fnally investing in Indigenous-led solar projects.

While such projects are and will remain under In-

digenous community control, private capital is es-

sential to allowing tribes to tap into their renew-

able resources in a serious way.

Tribal lands comprise approximately 2% of the

U.S., but hold 5% of all the nation’s renewable-

energy resources, according to a 2013 study com-

missioned by the Office of Indian Energy at the

Department of Energy (DOE). This includes an

estimated 14 billion megawatts of potential elec-

tricity generation from utility-scale rural solar

resources—5.1% of the total U.S. potential.

Today, while dozens of tribal communities

across the U.S. are equipped with rooftop or

community- scale solar (with over a dozen more

projects on the way), tribes increasingly want to

enter the clean-energy market. But while govern-

ment grants can help kick-start tribal renewable

projects, it isn’t enough to keep them growing.

The difference in funding for utility-scale solar

projects compared with small local projects is pro-

found. Rooftop and community solar is expensive

enough, costing a few million dollars. Utility-scale

behemoths can run into the hundreds of mil-

lions. To get there on government funding alone

would require a seismic shift of congressional ap-

propriation to cover the cost of everything from

transmission -line access to workforce training. “I

think Congress needs to appropriate a threefold

TO ENTER THE CLEAN-ENERGY MARKET, GOVERNMENT

GRANTS ARE NOT ENOUGH BY KALEN GOODLUCK

ENERGY

60 Time April 25/May 2, 2022