Native American Work

Native America and Solar Energy

Sandia National Laboratories, working on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, helps promote sustainable photovoltaic projects on Indian lands throughout the United States. For more than 20 years, Sandia has been involved in helping tribes study the feasibility of implementing solar (and other renewable energy resources) to meet their energy needs. Sandia has helped with requests for proposals, with engineering design reviews, with site assessments, and with technical assistance on a myriad of projects. In addition, Sandia has conducted training and education at several levels -- for end-users, for installers and electricians, and for customer service personnel at tribal utilities.

One issue of Sandia's Quarterly Highlights focused on these partnerships with American Indian tribes, as did a Lockheed Martin corporate Customer Focus article. Another publication, The Solar Way: Photovoltaics on Indian Lands, identified the large number of solar projects on tribal lands -- and why they were the right choice for tribes.

Sandia National Laboratories and the Navajo Nation are signatories to a Memorandum of Understanding that will help with science and technology developments on that reservation. Making Decisions for Seven Generations describes how Sandia's renewable energy program helps deploy sustainable, culturally-appropriate projects.

Sandia's work with tribes is a part of the U.S. Department of Energy's national program. Information about this work and other work with American Indian tribes may be found at http://www.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/

For more information about Sandia's work with Native American tribes, contact Sandra Begay-Campbell, skbegay@sandia.gov . Copies of The Solar Way, Sandia's Quarterly Highlights, and other publications on solar electricity, may be obtained by writing ldhende@sandia.gov or calling (505) 844-3698.