Tribal Initiatives
Native American Communities have unique challenges and opportunities with respect to renewable energy. These include: historic lands with substantial wind, solar and geothermal resources distributed across both Trust and Allottment lands, inequity with respect to access to capital, lack of educational opportunities and a history of exploitative energy development. Seventh Generation works with Native communities to help turn those challenges into opportunities.
Tribal Electric Utilities
Sovereignty is what Sovereignty does. For many Tribes there are substantial benefits to exercising sovereignty over energy distribution serving tribal loads.
Benefits include increased decision making power over energy costs (becoming a price maker rather than a price taker), development of Tribal capacity in meaningful and marketable work, energy independence and self-sufficiency, peer relationships with energy providers and developers and cost savings through elimination of perverse subsidies. Seventh Generation believes that a holistic approach to energy development via tribal utility organizational development is the best path for structuring renewable energy developments. Seventh Generation staff have extensive experience and expertise with regard to feasibility analysis, development and implementation of Tribal Utilities.
Feasibility Studies and Resource Assessments
With an organizational structure and strategy in place Tribes should assess the renewable energy available for development. Seventh Generation recommends an approach that looks first at energy self-sufficiency and second at merchant scale energy development. These differently scaled developments are not mutually exclusive. But in keeping with our mission of long-term sustainable community development, Seventh Generation believes that localized commercial energy developments have potential for providing revenues to Tribes.
By concentrating development on community self-sufficiency larger commercial developments will proceed under a framework that recognizes the primacy of community needs. Seventh Generation provides professional renewable resource assessment services which will help characterize the renewable resource for community and commercial scale development as well as provide a tool for education around renewable resource monitoring and assessment.
Renewable Energy Generation Projects
Seventh Generation is a full service installer of small to medium (10 kW to 2 MW) scale solar and wind energy systems. Our staff also has experience in biomass gasification and cogeneration. This expertise allows a broad range of options to plan develop and install renewable energy projects.
Financing Alternatives and Consulting Services
Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Tribes is getting the financial resources together to make renewable generation a reality instead of simply a great idea. Seventh Generation has a track record of financing difficult projects utilizing a number of conventional and non-conventional means. These include New Market Tax Credits USDA and BIA guaranteed loans as well as economic development bonds. Seventh Generation provides consulting services concerning how to access capital for renewable energy projects. Often times this knowledge is crucial for making projects move from the idea stage to fruition.