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Native American households spend a disproportionate amount of their incomes on energy costs. According to the 

, the typical energy burden for Native Americans is 45 percent higher compared to white households.

“There are reports from the Department of Energy and other sources that do find this systematically across the country, that is the costs are higher,” said Corrie Grosse, an associate professor of environmental studies at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. She’s also the author of “Working Across Lines,” a book about how people can work together to resist extreme energy extraction.

“The cost of electricity on reservation is sometimes many times higher than just right off the reservation,” she said.

To top it all off, many folks in Indian Country use propane to heat their homes, which is more expensive than natural gas.

“The proportion of people’s incomes — tribal members who are paying these costs — it’s a very high proportion of their income,” she said. “So, very difficult to pay those bills.”

That’s where 8th Fire Solar enters the picture. It's been producing solar thermal panels in Osage since Spring 2018. Gwekaanimad Gasco is the program coordinator.

“Solar thermal is a technology used to generate heat,” Gasco said. “We build these panels that go on the side of a house or a building, and they recirculate air and heat it up and use the forced air system, so a fan and some ducting to push the air to wherever in the house or the building you would like it.”

Unlike photovoltaic systems, which are expensive and generate electricity, solar thermal panels are cheaper and more accessible. The systems can save up to 35 percent in heating costs. As a White Earth Ojibwe and Little Traverse Band Odawa citizen, that's paramount to Gasco.

“It’s supplementary heat but has the ability to offset the usage of your main heating system, so it can save you a good chunk depending on the size of your system,” he said. “It’s a really important technology in Indian Country, especially around here where, you know, heat is less for being comfortable, it’s more for survival.”

8th Fire Solar’s work caught the attention of Native Sun Community Power. It’s a much larger organization based in the Twin Cities. 

Native Sun executive director Robert Blake is a Red Lake Nation citizen. His organization works to advance renewable energy infrastructure — with solar and electric vehicles —  on tribal lands. It also does a lot of environmental advocacy and trains workers in renewable energy industries.

Blake said the chance to work with 8th Fire Solar, a White Earth Nation-led organization, was a no-brainer. 

“We’re fighting energy poverty, we’re making our community stronger. And so that’s the way I see how they’re a part of this,” Blake said of 8th Fire Solar. “And they’re doing what they’re doing, and they’re doing it well.”

Native Sun will continue to focus on its own projects and programs like Electric Nation — an inter-tribal EV charging network through the Upper Midwest. But it will also help guide and expand 8th Fire's reach throughout Indian Country.

“We’re coming together from two different tribal nations and two different businesses and we're working together for a common goal,” Blake said.

And they’re doing it amidst a lot of changes under the Trump administration, which has been

 scaling back or eliminating big parts of the Inflation Reduction Act

“The Inflation Reduction Act was a huge benefit to Native communities, particularly around renewable energy. So billions and billions of dollars were available, and now those dollars are at risk,” Grosse said. “Trump is trying to roll the IRA back. It’s unclear exactly how that’s going to play out, but tribes and tribal-led organizations are not really able to count on that funding anymore.”

Native Sun’s Robert Blake said his organization has seen funding whiplash in the renewable energy sector firsthand. 

His new colleague Gasco said challenges like these are nothing new.

“It’s going to be a tougher time, for sure. But we were born through resilience,” Gasco said. “We’ve always been used to this fight, so it’s just a matter of keeping our heads down and keeping our people together, and keeping moving.”

But Grosse stressed relief could be on the horizon by way of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy and the NDN Collective.

“They’re actually kind of making themselves, grantmaking organizations, because they’re attracting such large sums of money,” Grosse said. “So I think it’s a really hopeful time, even though there’s a lot more challenges than we had under the Biden administration.” 

Michael Childs Jr., a Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council member is co-chair of the newly formed Tribal Advocacy Council on Energy. TACE is unique because it is not a state established council but a tribal nations advocacy council with appointees from 10 of Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations. 

Childs said he looks forward to the potential impacts of the merger of Native Sun and 8th Fire Solar on Indian Country.  

“I’m excited because Bob does bring a business background,” Childs said. 

He said Blake’s connections will help 8th Fire Solar. “I think that’s really what I'm expecting to see out of it, and I think I will.” 

8th Fire Solar will soon begin their biggest job to date. It’s a 20-home solar thermal project spread across four reservations in Minnesota. Native Sun, will provide expertise and resources.

Mathew Holding Eagle III

Author

A merger between two Indigenous-led nonprofits, Native Sun Community Power and 8th Fire Solar, looks to reshape energy sovereignty for tribal lands in Minnesota and address “energy poverty.”

Two Native-led renewable energy nonprofits team up to fight ‘energy poverty’ in Minnesota

Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

A large solar panel system sits in a warehouse on a wood work table.

Two Native-led renewable energy nonprofits team up to fight ‘energy poverty’ in Minnesota

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