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- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Energy | Environment
Indigenized Energy Inc. has installed an off-grid solar system at a buffalo caretaker site on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana, completing its third project with solar provider Freedom Forever.
The Fargo, N.D.-based energy nonprofit and the Temecula, Calif.-based solar company have now deployed systems on three reservations, including previous installations on the Oglala Sioux and Chippewa Cree Reservations. The latest project powers a remote cultural site without grid access, according to a statement.
"Many of the communities where we work don't have a local solar workforce or contractors," Cody Two Bears, Indigenized Energy's founder and CEO, said in the statement. "Freedom Forever brings the horsepower to make these projects happen in places where the market alone wouldn't go."
The partnership targets rural tribal communities with limited energy infrastructure. Freedom Forever has adapted its residential solar model to work in Indian Country's remote locations.
The organizations said they are developing additional projects. They recently produced a documentary called "Good Energy" about tribal solar workforce development.
Indigenized Energy operates as a fiscally sponsored project of Mission Edge San Diego and focuses on tribal energy sovereignty through economic development. Freedom Forever provides residential solar installations across the United States.
“Our goal has always been to empower our communities with tools that help them thrive,” Two Bears said. “Solar is more than just energy — it’s sovereignty, it’s sustainability and it’s hope. These projects are helping us restore Indigenous self-determination, one system at a time.
