Sun Spirit Solar

We know that the entire earth runs on some of the other kinds of fuels. It can be fossil fuels, oil, gas, petrol, diesel, coal, etc. They are also known as non-renewable sources of energy as it takes a very long time for them to replenish. 

1. The burning of coal and petroleum produces a lot of pollutants, causing air pollution.
2. Fossil fuels release oxides of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, etc.
3. The burning of fossil fuels produces gases such as carbon dioxide that cause global warming.

Sun Spirit is a solar panel installation business that services and installs solar systems on top of residences, businesses, and other properties across Montana with an emphasis on serving historically underrepresented communities. 

The benefits of solar energy are clear. Not only can you save money on your electric bills – you can also reduce your carbon footprint and improve the health of those around you.

An energy enigma lingers in Indian Country, with enormous renewable energy generation potential, but numerous barriers to development and electrification.

Native American tribes could provide 10% of the nation’s total energy and 6.7% of U.S. renewable energy capacity. But despite this generative potential, over 14% of households on Native American reservations lack access to electricity. 15 million acres — with energy or mineral resources were still undeveloped as of 2020. 

With an estimated 9 terawatts of potential renewable energy capacity in Indian Country, tribes can be key players in the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Renewable energy and microgrid development provide several potential benefits to tribes beyond energy provision, including economic development, energy cost savings, and stabilization, environmental protection, climate change mitigation, and increased climate resilience. The ability to develop and regulate renewable energy is also an expression of sovereignty and self-determination.

Sandia National Laboratories found finance to be the biggest barrier to renewable energy development on tribal lands.  Barriers to accessing capital, limited technical expertise and transmission infrastructure, regulatory hurdles, and minimal knowledge of sovereignty and federal Indian law amongst business and financial institutions currently prevent tribes from actualizing the benefits of the renewable energy transition.  

The total technical potential on tribal lands for electricity generation from CSP resources is about 6 billion MWh or 5.3% of total U.S. generation potential. The development of renewables by a Tribe creates a substantial increase in the standard of living for many tribal members. Solar panels and small wind turbines can allow for rural electrification, bringing power to the most remote parts of a reservation. Large wind farms produce not only a valuable commodity, but they also produce a large number of high-quality jobs, such as electrical engineers, wind turbine mechanics, and other similar vocations. This provides an opportunity for a Tribe to increase its employment rate, provide electricity to members far from the electric grid and increase the Tribe’s revenue.

Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. This thermal energy can then be used to produce electricity via a steam turbine or heat engine that drives a generator.

Solar power is both abundant and limitless. Solar PV is primarily used on reservations for rural electrification where it is far cheaper than extending power lines which can cost approximately $60,000 per mile.

The Rocky Boy Indian Reservation is in north-central Montana, nestled within the Bear Paw Mountains, home to the Chippewa Cree Tribe (CCT). The reservation is approximately 122,000 acres and is comprised of mountainous terrain, foothills, and mixed-grass prairie.  Most people live in housing villages sprinkled throughout the reservation. Most villages contain 40 or fewer single-family homes. Our total tribally enrolled membership is approximately 6,800 with 4,300 members residing on the reservation. 

Sun Spirit Solars' goals for our tribe to achieve energy sovereignty include self-sufficiency, job creation, and lowering costs.  A technical potential analysis estimates the resources that can be used for large, commercial-scale renewable energy generation based on commercially available technologies, developable land, and system performance. Technical potential considers commercial-scale projects only, a site-specific assessment for distributed applications, such as residential solar photovoltaics (PV), is needed to adequately evaluate the potential for small-scale renewable energy development on tribal land.

There are substantial amounts of renewable resources, such as wind, solar, and biomass on tribal lands.

Developing renewables on the Chippewa Cree lands presents many challenges. In many cases, finding the capital for the project presents a challenge for our Tribe considering the development of renewables. 

Overcoming these barriers can be difficult, but there are ways in which they can be met. Financial requirements can be supplied through grants, loans. Infrastructure and organizational problems can be dealt with through multiple tribal efforts such as groups of Tribes working together or an experienced Tribe mentoring an inexperienced Tribe. 

The Rocky Boy Indian Reservation is in north-central Montana, nestled within the Bear Paw Mountains, home to the Chippewa Cree Tribe (CCT). The reservation is approximately 122,000 acres and is comprised of mountainous terrain, foothills, and mixed-grass prairie.  Most people live in housing villages sprinkled throughout the reservation. Most villages contain 40 or fewer single-family homes. Our total tribally enrolled membership is approximately 6,800 with 4,300 members residing on the reservation. 

The tribe has considered a number of renewable energy options and may have further options to review.  Renewable energy projects also require feasibility studies to assure they are technically and economically feasible.

The tribe has already developed some solar projects.  A review of the data from those projects may indicate whether additional solar development is worthwhile.

Sun Spirit was established to provide affordable, quality solar system installations to historically underrepresented communities. To do so we aim to ensure that our services meet and exceed our customer’s expectations. These services are listed below;

• Consultation and instruction services
• Sale and installation of solar panels and accessories
• Servicing, repair, and maintenance of solar panels
• Roof-mounted panel installation
• Ground-mounted panel installation
• Fixed rack panel installation
• Monitoring services
• Other related solar panel installation, repair, and maintenance

Additionally, our installers will all be union employees registered with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). We see the benefits of Union labor with their inexhaustible supply of qualified manpower. This flexible workforce also maintains the most recent training and licensing requirements. The IBEW Union also has an excellent reputation for safety and productivity throughout its assignments. 

Sun Spirits prides itself on installing some of the finest solar systems from today’s top manufacturers in the industry. Among our products, we include some of the highest-rated solar systems from Werner Electric, with functionality suited for residential, public, and commercial needs. Of our company’s top-installed products, we include Jinko Solar panels, which combine durability with safety, versatility, a 25-year warranty, and the ability to withstand heavy winds and snow, which is perfect for Montana climates. Solaredge inverters have also proven to be a quality product, having high-efficiency ratings and being locally made. Solaredge also includes a 20-year warranty with the purchase of their solar inverters. Aside from Modules and Inverters, Sun Spirit will utilize equipment for installations sourced from Polar Racking Inc.

Sun Spirit is committed to using only the finest products in the market today along with acquiring the NABCEP certifications and continuing education for all employees so that Sun Spirit can stay in front of the competition and keep in touch with changing industry trends. 

8 Native American tribes going solar ~ https://www.solarpowerworldonl...

The 567 federally recognized Native American Tribes and Alaska Natives in the United States have many different languages and customs, but one thing they all share is a deep reverence for the natural world. It makes sense, then, that many tribes are choosing to go solar to help reduce their carbon footprints, save money on electric bills and create revenue on reservations.

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority now has a 27.5-MW solar farm on 300 acres in a Navajo community south of Monument Valley, Arizona

SunVest Solar contracted Current Electric to build over 600 kW of solar on about 50 homes and 19 commercial sites for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community in Wisconsin.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe added a solar carport along with storage to virtually eliminate the annual electricity bill for the tribe’s community center. The center includes indoor basketball courts and an outdoor swimming pool. 

EnSync Energy added a DER system to the Chemehuevi Tribe’s community center that includes a 90-kW solar array and energy storage totaling 125 kWh. 

The Southern Ute Tribe received a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Energy and funded $1.5 million itself to build a 1.3-MW ground-mount solar array on 10 acres of the tribe’s land. 

The Washoe Tribe has built seven ground-mount solar arrays at community centers on the tribe’s land. 

The Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) received a grant from the McKnight Foundation and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources to build a 200-kW community solar array for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribe. 

The Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project was the first utility-scale solar on tribal land. First Solar constructed and operates the 250-MW plant that’s capable of generating enough energy to power about 111,000 homes.

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With poverty levels and infrastructure on the Rocky Boy's Reservation at developing world standards, the cost of electricity disproportionately affects our communities. Then there’s the poor quality of housing – the vast majority of homes on reservations are prefabbed trailers ill-equipped for the brutal Northern Plains winters. It means that not only are residents faced with high charges just to get electricity to their doors, keeping their homes warm makes for cripplingly expensive heating bills.

The drive for energy independence facilitated by scientific advancements is rapidly gaining ground among indigenous communities across North America. 

The growing demand and interest among indigenous communities are happening; Tribes tend to have higher than average unemployment rates and unusually high energy costs (or sometimes no energy at all). This makes solar projects all the more attractive both as a means of boosting the tribes' economic potential and lowering their energy bills.

• Our tribe has already developed some solar projects.
• One option is for the tribe to create a “microgrid”.  If you have a microgrid, you take your entire electricity supply and loads fully off the grid.  A microgrid is created using batteries, generators that can generate on-demand and complex technology to modulate the power delivery so that batteries or generators can respond to constant changes in loads. Microgrids are expensive and technically challenging. 

Current - 4,300

One year - 4,300

Five years - 100,000

Impact goals for the next year:

To develop and train a workforce. Community and leadership education on renewable energy.

Five-year impact goal:

To secure at least 80% of future, past, and present tribal buildings, homes, and businesses to have a "renewable aspect" to the design, construction, and maintenance. To develop a new workforce and job infrastructure for the Chippewa Cree tribe. To develop the beginning stages of lessening our carbon footprint.

I will achieve these goals by maintaining and developing relationships with the Chippewa Cree Business Committee, CC Energy Board, and the CC Housing Authority. Continue to follow and update the Sun Spirit Solar business plan. 

To develop and train a workforce. Community and leadership education on renewable energy.

To secure at least 80% of future, past, and present tribal buildings, homes, and businesses to have a "renewable aspect" to the design, construction, and maintenance. To develop a new workforce and job infrastructure for the Chippewa Cree tribe. To develop the beginning stages of lessening our carbon footprint.

Tribal leadership and Community education in regards to solar or renewable energy. 

Finding the capital for the project presents a challenge for our Tribe considering the development of renewables. 

I will overcome these barriers by maintaining and developing relationships with the Chippewa Cree Business Committee, CC Energy Board, and the CC Housing Authority. 

Develop and implement community and leadership education in regards to renewable energy.

Five.

Clyde Brown: Mr. Brown has more than 20 years of experience working with organizations in the historically underrepresented communities we aim to serve. Most recently he has taken up roles both professionally and academically to connect these communities with economically accessible renewable energy.  

We are currently training and certifying four solar installation technicians. 

I currently sit on the Chippewa Cree Energy Commission Board.

We have 7 members with numerous years in tribal business and utilities.