Tribes: Prairies Region
Red Cloud Renewable
In 1997, Chief Henry Red Cloud heard talks of rooftop solar energy on the construction sites where he worked. He took an interest and found himself traveling up and down the front range of Colorado from his
home in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, to learn about solar energy and other energy efficient building designs and methods. In the early 2000s, he began to install solar thermal units with a small crew, and when
one broke onsite, he took it apart and learned how it worked. This exploration allowed him to begin manufacturing solar thermal units independently. Soon, Chief Red Cloud was considering the employment
possibilities within renewable energy for his community. In 2003, a training facility was constructed on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Lakota Nation, and in 2006, Henry developed Lakota
Solar Enterprises, which in 2008 became Red Cloud Renewable (RCR).
RCR offers training and education to Native people in solar installation, energy-efficient building practices, and weatherization techniques. The Sacred Earth Lodge, a net-zero and sustainably constructed
building, serves as a dormitory for those training at the training facility on the Red Cloud Renewable campus. Since 2008, more than 1,200 students have completed trainings at RCR, and their work has brought
tremendous benefits to the communities they return to, including the Pine Ridge community.
Cutting Energy Costs in Pine Ridge
Oil wells across South Dakota have contributed to the lack of diversity in the state’s energy profile for decades. Since the 1980s, South Dakota, comprising 77,116 square miles or 49 million acres, has
produced 1-2 million barrels of crude oil annually. Currently, South Dakota has some of the highest petroleum use per capita in the nation.1 This high reliance on fossil energy, paired with the lack of
renewable energy systems at a residential and state-wide scale, leaves families in rural areas dependent on the larger grid and vulnerable to grid failure. As the state begins to install more wind farms
and increase the presence of renewables in their energy profile, residents are also trying to reduce their reliance on fossil energy, largely for cost savings. However, the upfront cost of renewable energy
projects can be restrictive, particularly to federally recognized Tribal communities. RCR recognized this need and the associated cost barriers and developed their Native to Native Energy Sovereignty program.
RCR’s Native to Native Energy Sovereignty program goes beyond installing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at rural homes by starting with targeting energy inefficiencies. The most effective means of reducing
energy usage, and in turn pollution and the costs associated with energy consumption, is increasing energy efficiency. Through the Native to Native Energy Sovereignty program, RCR designated 30 homes across
the Pine Ridge Reservation to receive deep energy retrofits with the overall goal of reducing energy usage in these homes by 50%. These retrofits will complement onsite solar PV panels, increasing the cost
savings to families on the Pine Ridge Reservation that just one of these changes would provide.
For one Elder living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in particular, Native to Native Energy Sovereignty brought about astronomical changes for the better. She lives in a FEMA trailer that came up to Pine
Ridge from New Orleans after the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and helps raise her grandchildren on a fixed income. After RCR did deep energy retrofits on her home, she saw a 35% average reduction in her utility
bill. RCR has run projections and anticipates that after solar PVs are installed on her property, her savings will double to around 65%. These savings have helped her put more food on the table for her
family, fuel in her car, and even given her the ability to help with school supplies and clothes for her grandchildren. This case study of positive impact in the community has helped RCR gain support and
popularity, with Pine Ridge community members constantly asking how they can get solar panels and retrofits done to their homes.
Sharing the Wealth
Indigenous people travel from across the country to train and stay at the RCR campus. RCR wanted to empower recent graduates to return to their communities and train others, but it recognized the challenges
associated with securing land for a training facility, constructing a mock roof, and getting the necessary infrastructure together. Hence, RCR developed the Pre-Apprenticeship Readiness Program (Pre-ARP),
designed to help students receive credentials and solar training so that they are ready to start a solar apprenticeship immediately upon returning home. Pre-ARP provides students with training for
installing multiple types of solar energy, including PV battery-based systems and grid-tied systems. They recently expanded the program to include education on operations and maintenance (O&M), permitting,
purchase power, and more in the business realm of solar energy. Students who complete the Pre-ARP program leave with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) certifications, a CPR
(Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certification, and knowledge on installing solar, both through classroom learning and a community installation in the Pine Ridge. Donors help purchase the solar system that
a Pine Ridge community member, Knowledge Keeper, or Tribal Elder receives. It’s installed by Pre-ARP students under the guidance of RCR. Future iterations of the Pre-ARP Program will include the opportunity
to return to Pine Ridge for on-the-job training, where students are paid to install rooftop solar systems while gaining even more experience with the work.
Gender Equality in the Solar Industry
A 2021 census from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council found that women held only 26% of jobs across the solar sector, and that Native Americans held only 3% of solar sector jobs. Further, less than
0.05% of the entire solar workforce is Native American women, a statistic that RCR is seeking to change, knowing first-hand how impactful and helpful these jobs can be. John Red Cloud cited these
statistics in his proposal for RCR’s Bridging Renewable Industry Divides in Gender Equality (BRIDGE) program, a federally funded program that aims to provide Native American women with the skills
and certifications needed to gain employment in the solar industry. BRIDGE has funding for three cohorts, the first of which commenced in the fall of 2024. Of the 12 women in the cohort, 10 are now
employed in the solar sector, an outcome RCR is thrilled about. Women in the cohorts are provided with travel stipends from their home communities to Pine Ridge, where they live on the RCR Campus
for four weeks and receive training. Cohort members are also eligible for childcare stipends to offset the cost burden this may present to family members caring for their children while they are in
Pine Ridge. Single parents in the U.S. spend an average of 37% of their disposable household income on childcare, with couples spending 20%.2 This childcare stipend RCR provides through BRIDGE
removes barriers to education and training that mothers often face, and it was a pivotal piece of their proposal. The remaining BRIDGE cohorts will conclude in the summer of 2025, followed by a
year of monitoring, evaluation, and career services.
The Future of Red Cloud Renewable
RCR is undertaking the most ambitious capital campaign project of their history. As they expand their current 10-acre campus to 160-acres, they’re working with Indigenous architects to construct a
regional solar training center. The center will house students, have classroom space, a storage facility, and be net-zero, with a microgrid and solar PVs on all new buildings. This will not only
demonstrate RCR’s commitment to its mission and values but will cut utility bills for the new center. They hope to get their solar training program accredited and to construct a solar manufacturing
facility onsite. Although the construction of the center has brought about challenges, they remain certain that they will continue to expand, develop partnerships, and educate Indigenous students
on solar energy systems. RCR encourages everyone, regardless of background, to join them on this journey and dream of their future with them.
