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On the Hawaiian island of Moloka鈥檌, residents鈥攎any of whom are Native Hawaiian鈥攑ay a high price for electricity: $0.41 per kilowatt hour compared to . Though Moloka鈥檌 residents use the least energy of all the Hawaiian Islands, they are saddled with the greatest expense. This energy inequality has led the community to try and gain more control over how their energy is sourced and distributed.

The Moloka鈥檌 are one of many Indigenous groups around the U.S. making inroads toward energy sovereignty. But the approach and methods differ depending on communities鈥� belief systems, landscapes, and local politics. For two rural cooperatives in Hawai鈥榠 and New Mexico, energy sovereignty means taking actions toward decentralizing resources, increasing solar power plus storage, and centering community and the land in the process.

Not All Renewables Are Created Equal

The residents of Moloka鈥檌 are still in the nascent stages of gaining more community control over their energy. To find the best renewable solutions that fit both their culture and the natural environment, they have turned to their traditions and beliefs.

鈥淭he land is the chief, and we are the servants,鈥� says Lori Buchanan, vice president of Ho鈥檃hu Energy Cooperative. The cooperative was formed in 2020 and was officially incorporated in February of 2021 with the aim of providing locally owned, affordable, renewable energy. 鈥淭he people are there to serve the resources and to ensure that the resources are not only sustainable鈥攚hich is a word I don鈥檛 like to use鈥攂ut make them abundant in perpetuity, because we think hundreds of years down the road. Our vision is not shortsighted like corporate greed and a quick buck, but very longsighted for the next generation and the next generation.鈥�

The first step toward reaching that goal has been devising a proposal to submit to Hawaiian Electric, the main energy utility in Hawai鈥榠. In 2015, the state mandated that Hawaiian Electric consider community-based renewable energy projects in their work, so Ho鈥檃hu Energy Cooperative and the Moloka鈥檌 community are demanding to be considered. 

Their plan is for the cooperative to own solar panels and battery storage while Hawaiian Electric would continue to own the poles and wires that transfer electricity to residents鈥� homes. Hawaiian Electric would purchase the solar power from Ho鈥檃hu Energy Cooperative and provide renewable energy to cooperative members at a discounted rate.

Buchanan is Native Moloka鈥檌 and one of many on the island who has staved off extractive energy projects through protest. In 2012, she and other residents of Moloka鈥檌 organized to stop 50 wind turbines from being put on the island because of the degradation it was anticipated to cause to both the environment and the residents living there. While wind is considered a renewable energy source, it alone cannot supply a community鈥檚 energy portfolio. When the wind stops blowing, tapping into energy storage, including batteries, could help power the turbines. After that storage is used, a community may still need to use the fossil fuels provided by the existing grid. Wind turbines range in size, and the larger the turbine, the more chances there are for as seen from on the island of O鈥檃hu.  

鈥淭here鈥檚 a Hawaiian saying,鈥� says Todd Yamashita, president of Ho鈥檃hu Energy Cooperative, 鈥�He wa鈥檃 he moku, he moku he wa鈥檃鈥斺�榯he canoe is an island, the island is a canoe.鈥� Of 7,000 people, we only have what we have and that鈥檚 all we have. So if you have anything to do here鈥攚hether it is cultural, educational, environmental, economic鈥攊f it鈥檚 extractive in nature, you are absolutely unwelcome.鈥�

Time of Transition

In 2020, renewable energy usage (wind, solar, and hydro power) in the U.S. accounted for 19.8% of total kilowatt hours, compared to 60.3% from fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, petroleum, and other gases). A meaningful transition to renewables at scale will involve both existing electric utilities and new models, like that of Picuris Pueblo.

Located in the mountains of northern New Mexico, Picuris Pueblo is the smallest tribal nation in the state. With relatively few opportunities for economic development in their remote location, Picuris partnered with Kit Carson Electric Cooperative in 2018 to embark on a solar power project that would create revenue for Picuris, meet 100% of daytime energy demand with solar power, and reduce energy costs for tribal members.

Through funding by the Department of Energy, Picuris built a 1-megawatt solar power system with about 4,000 solar panels. The energy generated is sold to Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, which relies on a mix of solar and non-renewable energy sources to provide power to its membership, including Picuris. Thanks to the solar array, residents of Picuris receive a $50 to $75 credit on their energy bills.

The project has been so successful that Picuris Pueblo is expanding their solar power operations to include a second initiative. Kit Carson is also increasing its solar power grid. The cooperative estimates that it will be able to buy solar power at $0.03 cents per kilowatt hour compared to the $0.05 cents per kilowatt hour it costs to purchase coal. Its members will save the difference on their energy bills. 

鈥淲e define [energy sovereignty] as you鈥檙e free to decide which type of fuel source you want to use,鈥� says Luis Reyes, CEO of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative. 鈥淪o, in the case of Kit Carson, if we don鈥檛 want to be tied to the fossil fuel pipeline, our power suppliers would allow this kind of energy independence to find a fuel source that best fits our needs.鈥�

The partnership benefited Kit Carson Electric Cooperative too: Picuris Pueblo鈥檚 added solar capacity brought them closer to providing 100% daytime solar power to its 33,000 members, a goal they are on track to reach by 2022. 无码视频 solar power also means less reliance on natural gas and coal, some of the main sources of energy used in New Mexico. The cooperative will provide solar-generated power to its membership during the day, and at night, it relies on stored energy in batteries the cooperative owns, as well as supplemental energy from Four Corners, the site where they source their non-renewable energy.

In 2016, Kit Carson bought out of their contract with their former vendor, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, because they were only allowed to provide 5% solar power to their customers. The cooperative then partnered with Guzman Energy, an independent energy contractor to pursue their solar power plan.

Since Kit Carson has developed its solar infrastructure, the cooperative has purchased less coal energy from Four Corners. What was a 90% purchasing rate of coal energy in 2016 has decreased to around 40% in 2021. However, if Four Corners were to incorporate more solar sourcing into its model, it could help retain vendors who prioritize sustainability, such as Kit Carson, in the long run.

鈥淚f Four Corners today were to put solar, maybe some wind, then we would continue to buy from them and then we would continue to build solar locally,鈥� Reyes says.

A New Energy Future

As countries across the world have pledged to reduce carbon emissions, many Indigenous communities across the U.S. have been and are creating new energy futures. Blue Lake Rancheria, a tribal nation in Humboldt, California, has developed enough of its own solar energy grid that it can 鈥渋sland鈥濃�攁 term that the renewable energy sector uses to describe communities that can use power separate from the grid. When rolling blackouts were happening across the western part of the United States in 2020 and in 2021 because of an overtaxed grid, Blue Lake Rancheria was able to still provide electricity to its residents on the reservation and reduce stress on the main grid.

Even with success stories like these, the renewable energy sector is facing significant questions. As of now, the industry does not have a responsible way of disposing of certain pieces of the solar panels once they have exceeded their lifespan, usually an average of 30 years. There are also concerns about associated with mining the materials needed to make electric battery storage. But experts argue renewable energy is still than our current model of fossil fuel dependence. And as the world invests big in renewables, the sector will likely see myriad community-led innovations and improvements, which continue to inspire the residents of Moloka鈥檌.

鈥淎s we go, we鈥檙e hoping to do many creative projects that pushes the technological envelope for what you can do on a small island community,鈥� says Yamashita of Ho鈥檃hu Energy Cooperative. 鈥淧rojects that have equity, that directly benefit the people. And I can鈥檛 think of any better way than the people here building it themselves.鈥�