systems

DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook (ETO) predicts that electricity generation will more than double by 2050 and 30 percent of all electricity will come from solar PV, hence the rapidly growing need for reliable data analytics and reliable monitoring systems in the energy market there is

Solcast, a data company based in Sydney, Australia, with offices in Asia, Europe and the Americas, develops the data and tools needed to plan, build, operate and manage photovoltaic systems. Solar forecasting enables solar power producers to deliver reliable and sustainable electricity to grids in fast-growing markets. The integration of solar forecasting with energy storage creates a unique opportunity for customers to plan and then dispatch energy on demand to get the most out of each solar farm.

Real-time access to high-quality, accurate short-term forecasts enables customers to easily assess power plant operations, assess losses and improve plant performance, leading to improved plant and portfolio management, resulting in cost reductions and increased system and portfolio productivity.

Solcast uses global weather satellite imagery, machine learning, computer vision, historical and forecast data to generate more than 600 million new forecasts every hour and provide access to 5 years of real-time forecast data in a cloud-based environment. – 15-minute resolution via application programming interface (API).

“As a digital native company with strong domain expertise, Solcast is in line with DNV’s strategy to support our customers with reliable data-driven services,” said Remi Eriksen, President and CEO of DNV Group. “DNV’s Energy Transition Plan predicts a 20-fold increase in solar PV by 2050, and this acquisition will help us meet the dramatic increase in demand for reliable data analytics and reliable monitoring systems. Digital products like those provided by Solcast are key to unlocking the potential of solar energy, especially if we are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

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Solcast

Leading Companies Developing Solar Energy Projects in Africa in 2022

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Solar energy is becoming increasingly important in Africa as countries on the continent look for ways to meet their energy needs and reduce their carbon footprint. In this article, we take a look at 20 leading solar project development companies in Africa that are contributing to the growth of the renewable energy sector on the continent.

Scatec Sun: This Norwegian company is one of the world’s largest independent renewable energy companies and has a strong presence in Africa, with a portfolio of more than 2 GW of solar projects in South Africa, Egypt and Senegal, among other countries.

Test the power: The company is based in London but has a strong focus on Africa, with a portfolio of over 1.5 GW of wind and solar projects in countries such as South Africa, Egypt and Ghana.

African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM): This South African company focuses on the development of infrastructure projects in Africa, including renewable energy projects. It has a portfolio of more than 1 GW of renewable energy projects in South Africa, Kenya and other countries.

Enel Green Power: This Italian company is one of the world’s largest renewable energy companies and has a strong presence in Africa, with a portfolio of more than 1 GW of wind and solar projects in South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, among other countries.

First Sun: This US company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of solar panels and has a significant presence in Africa, with a portfolio of more than 500 MW of solar projects in South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, among other countries.

Overall Honor: This French company focuses on the development of renewable energy projects worldwide and has a strong presence in Africa, with a portfolio of more than 500 MW of wind and solar projects in Morocco, Egypt and Kenya, among other countries.

NEPC Limited: This Nigerian company focuses on the development of renewable energy projects in Nigeria and has a portfolio of over 400 MW of wind and solar projects in the country.

Input Power: The Dubai-based company focuses on developing renewable energy projects in emerging markets and has a portfolio of more than 400 MW of wind and solar projects in countries such as South Africa, Morocco and Egypt.

Sinohydro Corporation: This Chinese company focuses on the development of infrastructure projects, including renewable energy projects in Africa, and has a portfolio of more than 400 MW of wind and solar projects in countries such as South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.

ACWA Power: This Saudi Arabian company focuses on the development of renewable energy projects in emerging markets and has a portfolio of more than 300 MW of wind and solar projects in countries such as South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.

Sunshine Africa: This Kenyan company focuses on developing solar energy projects in Kenya and has a portfolio of over 200 MW of solar projects in the country.

EDF Renewables: This French company is one of the world’s largest renewable energy companies and has a portfolio of more than 200 MW of wind and solar projects in countries such as South Africa, Morocco and Egypt.

Blue Energy: The UK-based company focuses on developing renewable energy projects in emerging markets and has a portfolio of more than 200 MW of wind and solar projects in countries such as South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Solar Energy Market is estimated to be valued at USD 175.6 billion in 2021 and will reach USD 256.2 billion by 2028 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate). is predicted to reach 65. % during the forecast period of 2022-2028.

Market Overview

Key factors expected to accelerate the growth of the Solar Energy Market during the forecast period are mentioned ahead. The unpredictability of fossil fuel prices, the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports from politically unstable regions, environmental concerns about greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use, government incentives and other support programs that make the Solar Energy Market more competitive, and changes in consumer preference for Solar Energy as a whole These are important factors that determine the growth of the market.

By 2028, we predict that the residential category will account for more than 37% of total sales in the Solar Energy Market. The rapid development of the industrial sector and the availability of affordable renewable energy have created a huge growth potential for the use of Solar Energy Market. industrial sector.

Get Access to In-Depth Free Sample Report @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/solar-power-market-1989/request-sample

Market dynamics

Increasing Solar Industry Investments by Nations Pursuing Green Energy Goals

A global energy shift is urgently needed to keep the average increase in surface temperature to around 2° Celsius. As a result, the market will grow as the installation of renewable energy sources increases dramatically in the coming years. With energy-related carbon dioxide emissions accounting for two-thirds of all greenhouse gases, the transition from fossil fuels to low-carbon alternatives will be critical. The market size has benefited from the introduction of new energy targets by various governments to promote the transition to sustainable energy. By the end of 2023, Brazil wants to obtain 42.5% of its primary energy from renewable sources.

Increasing Use of Renewable Energy Sources Will Boost the Market

Considered the best possible replacement for traditional energy sources such as coal and oil, renewable energy sources help minimize carbon emissions and serve as a cost-effective daily energy supply. More than 29% of the electricity produced in the world comes from renewable sources. It is expected to significantly increase and expand the market in the coming years. Energy production and consumption in developing countries is directly affected by population growth. With the growing need to reduce carbon emissions, energy production from renewable sources is the best substitute for conventional energy sources. For example, the price of coal and oil products is constantly increasing. Another option for expanding the Solar Energy Market sector is the construction of new grids and mass storage systems by utilities to use energy produced from renewable sources.

Top Players of Global Solar Energy Market

Abengoa SE (Spain) Acciona SA (Spain) Canadian Solar Inc. (Canada)Esolar Inc. (USA) United Renewable Energy Co. Ltd. (Taiwan) Sunpower Corporation (USA) Kaneka Corporation (Japan) Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. (India)Wuxi Suntech Power Co. Ltd. (China)Brightsource Energy Inc. (USA)

For More Information on Solar Energy Market Players and Detailed List Download Report PDF Brochure

Top Trends in the Global Solar Market

One trend that Vantage Market Research (VMR) expects to see in the Solar Market industry is expanding environmental concerns. According to estimates, the demand for solar energy will increase due to the emission of dangerous greenhouse gases that cause air pollution and because it is a renewable and clean energy source. This is another trend that VMR predicts will continue in the Solar Market. increasing development in technology. Advances in Solar Market technology have led to a variety of solar powered products including solar water purifiers, solar air conditioners, solar trees, solar outlets and others. These are expected to create huge growth potential in the coming years.

Top Report Results

Based on technology, most of the Solar Energy Market revenue is driven by the photovoltaic systems category. Due to the large market demand for solar systems, the size of photovoltaic systems can vary widely, from small rooftop or portable systems to utility-scale mass production plants. A major share of Solar Energy Market revenue is controlled on the basis of Solar Module. polycrystalline category. A photovoltaic cell in a polycrystalline solar cell contains several silicon crystals, which makes them more environmentally friendly than monocrystalline solar cells because no waste is generated during production. On the basis of applications, major share of the Solar Energy Market revenue is driven by the industry category. The rapid growth of the industrial sector and the availability of affordable renewable energy has created a huge growth potential for the use of Solar Energy Market in the industrial sector. On the basis of End Uses, the majority of Solar Energy Market revenue is driven by the electricity generation category. economies’ increasing demand for electricity and increasing urbanization. Increasing efforts by the government to promote renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on coal-based power is expected to drive the market expansion. These efforts aim to reduce emissions and improve air quality.

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Recent Developments in the Global Solar Market

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has stated that renewable energy should provide at least 30% of global electricity by 2030. To achieve this goal, the installed capacity of solar PV needs to reach 200 gigawatts by 2030.

In the Solar Energy Market, the Photovoltaic Systems Category will gain more than 59%

The Solar Energy Market is an expensive investment. Vantage Market Research has analyzed the Solar Energy Market market to understand its current state and potential future growth factors. For better understanding, technology-based Solar Energy Market is segmented into photovoltaic systems and concentrated Solar Energy Market systems.

The Solar Energy Market market is expected to experience the highest CAGR for the photovoltaic systems category during the forecast period. A sustainable approach that promotes the use of renewable energy is the use of photovoltaic cells in the construction of solar panels for residential buildings or the installation of solar-powered street lights. Both economic and environmental sustainability are ensured by solar photovoltaic cells.

On the other hand, the Concentrated Solar Power Market systems category is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period. It mainly refers to the large-scale Solar Power Market, which produces industrial use of concentrated solar electricity. The operation of the Concentrated Solar Energy Market is free from carbon pollution. It can store energy outside of daylight hours and has excellent efficiency and low operating costs.

Asia Pacific to generate 53% more revenue in Solar Energy Market

Asia Pacific Solar Power Market dominates the market and this dominant trend will continue during the forecast period. One of the major factors driving the growth of the Solar Energy Market in Asia Pacific is increasing urbanization, increasing disposable income, busy lifestyles, increasing internet penetration and increasing smartphone adoption. In addition, the industry is supported by a large young population and a growing desire for sustainable development and renewable energy.

Explore market information spread across 149 Pages and in-depth TOC in Solar Energy Market Forecast Report (2022-2028).

Global Solar Market Segmentation

With technology

Photovoltaic Systems Concentrated Solar Energy Market Systems

With Solar Module

Monocrystalline Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride Amorphous Silicon Cells Other Solar Modules

By application

Residential Commercial Industry

According to last use

Electricity, Lighting, Heating, Charging

By region

North America

United States Canada Mexico

Europe

Germany England France Italy Spain Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China Japan India South Korea Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa

GCC countries Southern Africa Rest of MEA

Read the full report@ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/solar-power-market-1989

Scope of the report:

Report AttributesDetailsMarket Size 2021 USD 175.6 Billion Revenue Forecast to 2028 USD 256.2 Billion 2022 to 2028 Forecast 2021 2022 to 2028 Key Players Abengoa SE, Acciona Soo Inc. , Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd., Wuxi Suntech Power Co. Ltd., Brightsource Energy Inc. Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research need. Explore custom purchase options

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About Vantage Market Research:

At Vantage Market Research, we provide high-quality, quantified B2B research across more than 20,000 emerging markets and in turn help our clients identify the pipeline of opportunities for their businesses. As a competitive intelligence market research and consulting firm, we provide end-to-end solutions to our client enterprises to achieve their critical business objectives. Our customer base includes 70% of Global Fortune 500 companies.

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JA Solar has worked with Chinese scientists to test a new electric heating system for solar panels that uses heat from uncovered panels to clear snow. The system starts by using mains electricity, but then relies on the heating effect of the resistance to evenly heat the entire PN junction area of ​​the snow-covered panels.

January 30, 2023 Emiliano Bellini

Chinese scientists have developed a new snow removal system that uses very little grid electricity for off-grid and grid-connected PV systems.

A “domino-like snow removal system” (DSRS) uses electricity from outdoor PV modules to remove snow from solar arrays.

“With high snow removal efficiency, it is almost free of utility energy consumption,” said researcher Wen Liu pv magazine. “The snow removal principle has been confirmed to have no adverse effect on the performance of PV modules through experiments conducted in collaboration with JA Solar, a Chinese PV module manufacturer.”

The string that removes the snow first provides power for subsequent snow-covered strings in a sequence they liken to falling dominoes, the researchers said. The system only uses grid electricity with the first panels, as the PV electricity is responsible for subsequent snow removal.

The DSRS is connected to each of the PV system strings via tee-type MC4 connectors and PV cables. It uses the resistance heating effect to uniformly heat the entire PN junction area of ​​the PV modules.

“Heat is transferred to the snow layer through the EVA film and tempered PV glass, which causes the snow to melt,” the Chinese team said, noting that the system is based on a maximum power point tracker (MPPT) algorithm that activates electricity. extraction process with the use of high sunlight.

“The process of snow melting occurs on the surface of the PV modules, which is considered as one-dimensional heat transfer perpendicular to the surface of the PV modules,” the scientists said.

The researchers tested the prototype system in a real winter snowpack environment and found that it could achieve “good” snow removal in environments with a minimum tilt angle of 27 degrees, a minimum temperature of -14.8 C, and minimal fluctuating solar radiation. 248 W/m2 in off-grid mode.

“The DSRS can deal with different types of snow with a density of 121.05 kg/m3 to 480.10 kg/m3 and a thickness of 15.5 mm to 32.5 mm,” they said.

They said the system could cost between CNY 0.17 ($0.025)/W and CNY 0.29/W installed on PV systems ranging from 10 kW to 30 kW. The payback period is estimated between 2.9 and 4.3 years.

“The bill of materials (BOM) for this add-on box is less than $500, and it can be installed with just a few more power cables and three port connectors, so the cost is really low,” Liu said. “To the best of my knowledge, there is no low-cost solution for snow removal so far, and I believe this technology can be widely applied.”

The research team presented the system in a book, “A Novel Domino-like Snow Removal System for Rooftop PV Arrays: Feasibility, Performance, and Economic Benefits,” recently published in the journal Applied Energy. The team includes scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China, Xiong’an Innovation Institute and JA Solar.

“This paper presents a systematic study on the feasibility, performance and economic benefits of a domino-type snow removal system and confirms that it is an excellent solution for snow removal on PV modules and has great potential for PV deployment in snow-covered areas. several months in the winter,” the group concluded.

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In August 2021, two wildfires surrounded the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in central Montana. By August 11, more than 175,000 acres were ablaze, and all residents of Lame Deer, the largest town on the reservation, were asked to evacuate.

Several communities lost power and cell service, and the local Boys and Girls Club set up door-to-door food delivery. Some of those forced to evacuate were staff at Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative, a nonprofit that supports tribal communities’ transition to solar power and the development of renewable energy workforces.

Wildfires like those surrounding Northern Cheyenne — which may get worse because of climate change — exemplified the urgent need for Covenant’s work.

About one-quarter of U.S greenhouse gas emissions come from electricity, so transitioning to renewable energy like solar power is an important part of reducing the nation’s overall emissions.

Climate change is already affecting tribal communities across the U.S. — affecting the ability to gather traditional foods and medicines, drinking water quality in rural communities, and more. In places like Montana, climate change-driven warmer temperatures, drier soils, and reductions in snowpack may make fire season worse.

For tribes like those Covenant Solar works with, the switch to solar power is urgent to mitigate the long-term impacts of fossil fuels. But it is also a way to strengthen tribal self-determination through workforce development and energy independence from often exploitative, non-Native-run utilities.

“We are disrupting the broken fossil fuel-based energy system,” says Covenant Solar founder Cheri Smith. “This is economic development with really high human impact.”

Both Northern Cheyenne and the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, where Covenant Solar works, are on the front lines of the fight for a renewable energy future to combat climate change. At Northern Cheyenne, the battle was against coal mining.

In 2016, after years of organizing by community members — including by Vanessa Braided Hair, Covenant Solar’s advocacy and community engagement manager — Arch Resources (then called Arch Coal) withdrew its application to mine 1.3 billion tons of coal at Otter Creek, near the reservation.

At Standing Rock, the battle is against the Dakota Access oil pipeline, part of which runs under the Missouri River on the reservation. In summer 2016, thousands of activists, known as water protectors, gathered along the Cannonball River to protest the construction of the pipeline.

Oil began flowing in May 2017, though activists continue to call on President Biden to shut down DAPL. During the 2016 protests, Cody Two Bears, one of the co-founders of Covenant Solar, helped organize a fundraiser to get 300 kilowatts of solar power installed on the reservation.

Today, Covenant Solar is using the solar panel purchased with donated funds as a demonstration project and training opportunity.

“The majority of solar work being done on reservations don’t address core issues of poverty and lack of an economy,” Smith says. “[These one-off projects] are fine, but oftentimes what happens is when systems are donated, they’re dumped there and then the donor goes away, and the tribe is left with a hulking mess.”

Not all tribes have the staff, technical knowledge, or funding to operate or maintain the specialized machinery solar energy requires. That’s why Covenant Solar is taking a different approach.

The company is not interested in short-sighted solar installation projects. It wants to create a self-reliant, renewable energy economy that lasts long past the media buzz. And that’s no small task.

“This is a first-of-its-kind approach. There’s no template,” Smith says. “Our long-term goal is return to self-determination and restoration of hope.”

‍

A Replacement for Fossil Fuels

Robert Blake, founder of the Minneapolis-based solar installation company Solar Bear and the nonprofit Native Sun Community Power Development, has a similar vision. He is developing a solar microgrid on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota, where he is a member.

Like Northern Cheyenne and Standing Rock, the Red Lake Reservation faces a similar fossil fuel fight. Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 pipeline expansion, proposed in 2014, would cross three reservations as well as wetlands in Minnesota where tribes hold treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice.

Indigenous people and environmental activists have been protesting the expansion for years, with action ramping up in the past few months. Between November 2020 and August 2021, more than 700 protesters were arrested.

Blake believes tribes are key to the United States reaching its climate goals, and that investment in renewable energy is an essential part of that puzzle.

“Those old fossil fuel forces have a stranglehold on our system,” Blake says. “There’s no way we’re going to get off of fossil fuels unless we have something else on the market.”

Covenant Solar and Native Sun both take a systems-based approach to renewable energy development. In addition to solar installation, workforce development and technical training are key aspects of their work — with a long-term goal of establishing tribally owned solar utilities.

Today, Covenant Solar is helping develop three megawatts of solar power at Northern Cheyenne that will provide power for utilities, homes, and businesses. The dozen solar panel installers Covenant Solar trained at Northern Cheyenne are now going to other tribal communities in the Great Plains to train tribal community members to be solar installers and get jobs in the field of renewable energy.

Though these projects may seem small-scale — a megawatt here, a few kilowatts there — they represent a large chunk of the solar economy in their states. Montana, where the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, has six utility-scale solar installations that generate 17 megawatts of electricity.

The installation under development with Covenant Solar would bring that total to 20 megawatts. North Dakota, where the Standing Rock Reservation is, has zero utility-scale solar installations.

But tribal lands also possess immense potential: Tribal lands in the lower 48 have an estimated 17,600 billion kilowatt hours per year of solar energy potential. That’s a staggering 4.3 times the U.S.’s total electricity generation in 2020, only 2.3% of which came from utility-scale solar electricity.

On the Red Lake Reservation, Native Sun is working to install 17 megawatts of solar power, including five megawatts on tribal buildings and a 12-megawatt solar farm. The reservation already has 67 kilowatts of solar power helping power its government building and 240 kilowatts on its job training center.

Like Covenant Solar, an important part of the work at Red Lake is workforce development to ensure that community members are in charge of installation, operations, and ongoing maintenance of the solar panels.

Native Sun also partners with the Minnesota Department of Corrections to train local formerly incarcerated people in solar installation and site evaluation.

“We need our own electricians, our own people servicing our communities,” Blake says. “Energy runs the entire community. We really need to have our own tribal utilities.”

(Pixabay/Pexels)

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A History of Exclusion

Energy development on tribal land has long been stymied by federal regulations.

When the Rural Electrification Act passed in 1936 to expand electricity to rural communities throughout the nation, tribes were not expressly discriminated against, but bureaucratic barriers made it nearly impossible for tribes to access loans.

Barriers persist to this day. Federal government approval to develop energy projects on tribal land can be a long and confusing process. The type of regulatory oversight depends on the size of the project, who is funding it, and where the tribe is.

That oversight may come from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, or the Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2005, the Energy Policy Act established Tribal Energy Resource Agreements, or TERAs, which were meant to increase regulatory control held by tribes themselves over their own energy resources.

But tribes have identified several problems with TERAs.

First, not all tribes qualified: the Secretary of the Interior had the discretion to determine whether tribes had the capacity to manage energy resources.

Further, TERAs allowed tribes to take over certain approval activities previously performed by the federal government, but did not allow tribes to perform any “inherently federal functions.”

What constitutes an “inherently federal function” has never been defined. All of these issues mean that since 2005, not a single tribe has entered into a TERA, though several have tried.

In 2018, Congress responded to these issues by passing amendments updating TERA regulations to restrict the Secretary of the Interior’s ability to reject a TERA and to remove the requirement for the secretary to judge tribal energy development capacity. The Department of the Interior has yet to implement these new regulations.

“The majority of tribes—especially those in the plains states where energy-related poverty is especially rampant—don’t have the resources to navigate these barriers to renewable energy development,” Smith says.

That’s where Covenant Solar comes in.

Founded by a mix of tribal community leaders and renewable energy experts, Covenant Solar’s team provides pro bono consulting to tribal governments.

“When the size and scope of a project triggers regulatory scrutiny, we are there as a buffer and trusted subject matter expert to ensure that the best interests of a tribe are upheld,” Smith says.

Working with nontribal-run utilities is rarely easier than dealing with lengthy regulatory processes. In the Great Plains, where Covenant Solar works, reservations often face discriminatory utility pricing, Smith says, with monthly rates as often twice or three times the Montana average of 11.53 cents per kilowatt hour.

Blake sees the same issue in Minnesota. “The system is set up to prey on our tribal communities,” he says. “They’re like predatory lenders. It’s predatory servicing! There are so many fees on top of fees.”

Solar power run by tribal communities themselves thus offers the opportunity to reinvest the money saved on utilities back into their communities. “This is a self-determination issue,” Blake says.

“Red Lake spends about $40 million [annually] off the reservation for the electricity bill. We’re trying to cut that in half. What would $20 million in our community look like?” That kind of investment could go a long way on a reservation with an average income of $10,236 per capita and a poverty rate of 36.3%.

Smith agrees. “In a home that’s stricken by poverty, if you can eliminate a big percentage of that electric bill, those savings go to food, to medicine, to clothing,” Smith says.

“If you offset that for the tribal government itself, you can get better services, better medical infrastructure, better safety infrastructure.”

Tribally run renewable energy has the potential to positively impact the entire tribal economy. Smith sees it as “truly momentous and hopeful work.”

Getting utility companies to agree to support a tribal microgrid has not been easy for Native Sun.

The company’s interconnection agreements — required approval from the utility company to connect to the electrical grid — often stalled out, Blake says.

Because the tribe is one of the local utility co-op’s largest customers, the company stands to lose a lot of money if the tribe creates its own energy system.

“They don’t want us using batteries. They don’t want us using solar,” Blake says. “They want us to be dependent on them, and they put up all kinds of barriers.”

Another issue Native Sun ran into was what to do with the excess energy that their new solar farm will produce.

First, they proposed selling it back to the local utilities co-op, a common practice called “net metering.” The utility co-op refused. Instead, the tribe will charge its extra energy to a 40-kilowatt battery, using a system called solar-plus-storage.

While this will benefit the community — they plan to use their solar batteries to power lights for evening events like pow wows and basketball games — it also means the tribe is losing out on potential revenue generation from its solar energy.

“There’s not a lot of [outside] interest in seeing tribal nations transition into these renewable energy microgrids,” Blake says.

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Taking Back Power

Because so many of these roadblocks come down to policy decisions, it’s clear that tribes need a seat at the table when it comes to managing energy resources.

One way Covenant is making its work self-sustaining is by creating a revolving fund in which tribal communities contribute some of the money they earn from solar power, while other tribes can pull money out to develop their own solar installations.

Right now, Covenant’s projects are funded by a combination of tribal funds, Department of Energy grants, and individual donations. Smith estimates the revolving fund will be solvent in three to five years.

This will create a tribal solar energy ecosystem and ensure tribes aren’t reliant on chasing down short-term, external grants or donations for their solar energy infrastructure, which would threaten the stability and long-term sustainability of these projects.  

Beyond tribally run utilities, Blake thinks tribes should also create tribal utility commissions that work alongside public utility commissions.

In the U.S., public utility commissions are state-run bodies meant to regulate companies that provide public services, such as electricity, natural gas, and water.

By forming tribal utility commissions, Blake hopes tribes will have a greater say in policies that directly impact tribal communities’ ability to develop economically, address climate change, and strengthen their self-determination.

Not all tribes see it that way, and development or sale of oil, coal, and natural gas resources still offer strong economic incentives.

The Crow Tribe, for example, which lies just west of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, signed a deal with Cloud Peak Energy Inc. in 2013, allowing them to mine 1.4 billion tons of coal from the reservation.

The Council of Energy Resource Tribes estimates that traditional energy sources in Indian Country — including oil, natural gas, and coal — could generate $1.5 trillion in revenue.

But investment in fossil fuels isn’t a long-term solution: U.S. fossil fuel use declined by 9% in 2020 and research shows that fossil fuels are a vulnerable and declining industry.  

For Blake and Smith, this is all the more reason to create renewable energy economies. The fossil fuel industry won’t last forever, and tribal communities can be part of a climate-conscious solution today.

“We need to stop fossil fuel from encroaching,” Smith says. “But, what’s next? This is the ‘what’s next.’”

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This article was originally published by YES! Magazine