Project: Energizing Rural Hopi and Navajo with Solar Powered Battery-Based System
Award #DE-CD0000061
In 2024, Native Renewables Inc. (NRI) was selected to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) to energize up to 300 off-grid homes on Hopi and Navajo lands in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah with off-grid photovoltaic solar systems (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) with capacities of approximately 2.5 kW and 19 kWh respectively. Installation will also include hands-on education to the Hopi and Navajo residents about PV and BESS systems, an upgrade of home electric panels and wiring (if needed), and operations and maintenance services for 5 years after the date of installation.
Please visit the OCED funding program webpage for more information.
Project Updates (as of 1/29/26)
- NRI and OCED met with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office regarding permitting and surveys on Hopi land in January 2025.
- Began site visits in April 2025.
- Installations began December 2025.
- Procurement of supplies: 22 installs and 17 electrical wiring
- Site visit completed: 20 homes
- Installs completed: 7 homes
Project Information
- This project started on October 1, 2024.
- NRI had conversations with Hopi and Navajo tribal entities in Quarter 4 of 2024.
- Presented to community at the Navajo Western Agency Meeting in December 2024.
Contact Information
Email contact@nativerenewables.org for feedback, questions, and comments about this project.
About the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) was established to accelerate clean energy technologies and fill a critical innovation gap on the path to achieving our nation’s climate goals of net zero emissions by 2050. OCED’s mission is to deliver clean energy demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, market adoption, and the equitable transition
to a decarbonized energy system. Visit energy.gov/oced to learn more.