Indigenized Energy, an indigenous capacity building organization that works directly with Tribes to build sustainable solar energy systems, has announced an in-kind donation of more than 2,000 solar panels from JinkoSolar. The modules are the largest donation of its kind to date and will provide more than 800 kW of energy to tribal nations in the Midwestern United States. JinkoSolar’s first tribal donation was 300 kW to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in 2019.
The first tribes to benefit from the donation are the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Montana and the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. These solar panel installations are tied to Department of Energy grants and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar For All funding, which includes residential and commercial projects. There are many more projects to come.
“We enjoy our working relationship with Cody Two Bears and his team at Indigenized Energy, who are doing great work helping tribes pursue energy sovereignty,” said Nigel Cockroft, General Manager of JinkoSolar (US) Inc. “This contribution is just the beginning as we support tribal communities and help tribes become leaders in renewable energy development.”
“JinkoSolar has previously helped tribal communities with a solar farm on the Standing Rock Reservation,” said Cody Two Bears, founder and executive director of Indigenized Energy. “Indigenous communities are now among the best places for solar energy development under the new IRA legislation. We are happy to partner with JinkoSolar again to build meaningful projects like this and future projects.”
News item from Indigenized Energy
