Remote Energy is dedicated to bringing the highest quality PV training opportunities to underserved populations worldwide.   Energy poverty is experienced in every country on earth, and for many of us, those in need are very close to home.  The Energy Information Administration estimates that 14 percent of households on Native American reservations have no access to electricity, 10 times higher than the national average. On the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota 40 percent of the population lives without electricity, over 90 percent live below the poverty line, and the unemployment rate exceeds 80 percent.  These are realities that Remote Energy is working to change.   This spring,  Remote Energy has worked with 4 indigenous tribes to help meet their solar training needs and strengthen their path to energy sovereignty.   By inspiring Native American students, empowering technicians, and developing the technical skills of PV instructors, Remote Energy is creating the next generation of PV professionals to bring electricity, jobs, and hope to tribal lands across America.  

As a key partner in Remote Energy’s Native American programs, Red Cloud Renewable Energy (RCR) on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota has been working diligently to assist tribal members and communities to move towards energy independence through renewable energy training.  Remote Energy, in cooperation with Solar Energy International (SEI), has been committed to developing the technical capacity of RCR’s Native American PV trainers and assisting with the design, development, and construction of a new, hands-on PV training facility on the RCR campus.  The new training center includes a mock-roof, where students can practice installing residential, grid-tied PV systems.  It also features a pole-mounted PV array, which will feature a battery-based system, and a 22.5kW ground mounted array, which provides electricity to the training center.  This summer the first classes will be held at the new RCR solar training Lab, and Remote Energy will co-teach with RCR’s team of Native American PV instructors.  

Remote Energy has also expanded the reach of its online training program and created opportunities as well as pathways for Native Americans to develop new skills and opportunities.   Recently, Remote Energy partnered with Native Renewables to provide PV training opportunities to members of the Hopi and Navajo tribes.  Many of the students in this class continued their education with hands-on training from Native Renewables and were inspired to work with Native Renewables installers to bring electricity to the rural homes in their communities and empower their people with energy access and independence.

Remote Energy has also been working with tribes in their home state of Washington.  Recently, they partnered with Twende Solar and SEI to conduct an online training program for members of the coastal Quinault Nation.   The Quinault tribe has ambitious plans for solar, wind, and efficiency upgrades on their reservation.  This year Twende Solar facilitated the installation of a  23kW PV system on a tribal community building on the reservation.   The online training program, developed by Remote Energy and co-instructed by Native trainers from RCR,  focused on the development of a local, technical, knowledge base for the new PV system, and on inspiring the development of a diverse renewable energy workforce on the Reservation.  

Remote Energy has also established a partnership with the Northwest Indian College on the Lummi Nation on the northern shores of the Puget Sound. Together they are actively soliciting funding and support to boost the engineering programs at tribal schools and use hands-on STEM training to inspire the next generation of solar professionals and empower resilience and workforce development on Native lands.