Janet Conklin

Research Fellow

Each November, Native American Heritage Month invites us to honor the traditions, languages, and stories of Native peoples and to recognize their enduring contributions to this nation. This month, Generation180 spotlighted clean energy projects in Tribal schools and communities across the country. From the Pine Point Resilience Hub and Zuni Youth Enrichment Project in New Mexico to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, these stories highlight the leadership of Tribal nations and partners advancing energy resilience and opportunity across Indian Country.

As those community projects take root, a parallel movement has long been building the workforce, capacity, and planning needed to sustain them. Below, we highlight some Indigenous-led organizations and government programs shaping what comes next for Tribal clean energy.

United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) | Bismarck, ND

United Tribes Technical College has become one of the strongest Tribal solar workforce hubs in the country—not by chasing large grants, but by building trust, long-term partnerships, and hands-on learning opportunities.

UTTC’s solar story began in 2019 with the creation of the “Solar Roller,” a 3.1 kW off-grid teaching trailer built collaboratively by UTTC students, Lightspring Solar, and Indigenous-led nonprofits. That project catalyzed a campus-wide renewable energy initiative that ensures every installation doubles as energy education.

With support from the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund, UTTC has since installed a 24 kW solar canopy at its Skills Center, a 43 kW system for its NetZero Greenhouse, and a 79 kW rooftop array on its Science and Technology Center. Students help design and install systems, learning technical, engineering, and maintenance skills directly alongside Indigenous installers.

UTTC’s partnership model has made it a regional leader. The college’s next major step is a 150 kW solar-plus-storage microgrid for the Goodhouse Wellness Center, funded by the DOE Office of Indian Energy. Today, UTTC has more solar installations than any other college in North Dakota and is training the workforce that will sustain Tribal energy projects across the Northern Plains for decades.

Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA) | Denver, CO

Spun out of GRID Alternatives in 2024 as its first Native-led affiliate, Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA) builds on more than a decade of Tribal collaboration. Under co-executive director Tanksi Clairmont, TEA’s mission promotes tribal ownership, workforce development, and long-term community control over clean energy systems.

It’s about shifting the powers in the climate change movement back to the ownership of tribal communities. It’s about dismantling those inequities in the energy space.

Tanksi Clairmont

TEA’s work spans financing, installation, workforce training, policy advocacy, and school-based education. As Clairmont put it in an Interview with Waverley Street Foundation: “It’s about shifting the powers in the climate change movement back to the ownership of tribal communities. It’s about dismantling those inequities in the energy space.” 

The organization’s recent milestones illustrate its growing reach. In 2025 alone, TEA awarded $3.6 million to 26 Tribal Nations through the TSAF program, supporting rooftop and community solar, workforce training, energy-resilience planning, and more. Across its programs, TEA operates as both a technical partner and a cultural steward, strengthening local expertise and Tribal authority over energy decisions.

Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy (ATCE) | Washington, DC

The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy helps Tribal Nations plan, finance, and develop clean energy projects on their own terms. Rather than administering grants directly, ATCE acts as a strategic partner—strengthening Tribal governance, connecting communities with technical experts, advising on permitting and interconnection, and helping Tribes pursue a self-determined path to energy sovereignty.

ATCE’s work is funded through major philanthropic investments, including nearly $5 million from the MacArthur Foundation, that enable ATCE to provide something unique in the clean energy landscape: continuity, trusted partnership, and culturally grounded technical guidance.

Across these initiatives, one theme is clear: Tribal communities are not just adopting clean energy—they are shaping the future of it. From local workforce development to capital and technical assistance, the next phase of tribal energy sovereignty is being built now.

Interested in exploring more Native-led clean energy organizations? Here are more to explore :

• Indigenized Energy – Tribal-led technical assistance, project development, and workforce training
• Indigenous Power and Light Fund– Philanthropic fund supporting Tribes with critical clean energy project development and emergency energy needs.
• NDN Collective – Climate justice, land stewardship, and Indigenous self-determination
• Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) – Advocacy for climate justice and Indigenous rights
• Native Renewables – Off-grid solar and energy education across Navajo and Hopi communities
• Indian Energy – Native-owned developer advancing Tribal microgrids, solar, and storage
• Navajo Technical University – Energy Systems Programs – Training the next-generation Tribal energy workforce
• 10 Power – Indigenous- and women-led solar company building community-rooted energy solutions
• 8th Fire Solar – Native-owned solar contractor based in Minnesota specializing in Tribal installations

This story concludes our Native American Heritage Month series celebrating Tribal clean energy leadership. Read the full series—featuring Pine Point, Zuni Pueblo, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—on the Generation180 blog.