Native American Links

DOE Tribal Energy Program
DOE's Tribal Energy Program provides financial and technical assistance to tribes for feasibility studies and shares the cost of implementing sustainable renewable energy installations on tribal lands. This program promotes tribal energy self- sufficiency and fosters employment and economic development on America's tribal lands. The program website provides information about Native American renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that have been funded by the Department of Energy. The site includes valuable information such as: business opportunities, including the latest tribal energy solicitation; case studies on renewable energy projects on tribal lands; reports and resources; and links to other relevant sites.

SIPI Renewable Energy Program
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute's (SIPI) renewable energy program seeks to establish renewable energy technology hardware on and around the campus, which will supplement and create the educational resources to teach renewable energy courses at its campus. Under the subject agreement, SIPI will design, install, operate, and maintain photovoltaic, wind and solar hot water systems to be located at the SIPI campus and educate and train Native American students in renewable energy technology.

Blackfeet Community College Wind Turbine Project
Roy Nollkamper, member services manager for Glacier Electric Cooperative, reports on the installation of a wind turbine at Blackfeet Community College in a recent issue of Rural Montana Magazine. "With the installation of the 10 kilowatt Bergey wind turbine complete, students at the Blackfeet Community College will now begin to compile and study the data produced by the project," Nollkamper writes. "The turbine, acquired by a grant written by Ron Ladue through the college, will also provide power for approximately 50 percent of the load at the vocational center where the generator is located. Any excess production will be passed onto Glacier Electric's system."

Energy Consumption and Renewable Energy Development Potential on Indian Lands Renewable energy projects are considered particularly appropriate on Indian lands because they are generally environmentally benign and harmonize well with nature, consistent with Indian culture. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) undertook a study of the cost and availability of electricity to Indian households on Indian lands, as well as the feasibility of using renewable energy there. Because most tribal lands are remote and sparsely populated, they are also considered to be good sites for testing the market potential of dispersed energy sources like renewables. The report, which examines electricity use, prices, renewable energy potential for both federally recognized Indian reservations, and tribal jurisdictional statistical areas, can be downloaded in pdf format at the link above.