Community-Scale Solar: Watt's In It for Indian Country?

Abstract

Native American households disproportionately lack electricity service in comparison to other households in the United States. Community-scale solar energy could be a valuable means of helping to address this disparity, especially on remote Indian reservations where access to the electric grid can be costprohibitive. However, federal policymakers will need to address several obstacles, including funding constraints, cultural barriers, energy storage limitations, and jurisdictional issues, to make widespread access to communityscale solar energy possible for Indian communities. This Article explores each of these obstacles in detail and provides a comprehensive set of recommendations for dramatically expanding community-scale solar development in Indian country.

Keywords: Solar houses, Project management, Tribal governments, Renewable energy, Tax credits, Energy efficiency, Clean energy