Energy and Environment Solar Self-Reliance
(Page 3 of 6)
Spiritual issues influence the village leaders, too.
According to the Hopi Foundation, the electromagnetic field
of electricity that emanates from power lines is considered
disruptive to the atmosphere, ambience and balance of
ceremonial areas.
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The Hopi have tried a number of substitutes for
utility-generated electricity. Most Hopi houses are still
heated with coal, which the people gather from the ground
and the waste piles of the mine site on the reservation.
In the past, people also would “hook up to the
battery of their car and hope they didn’t use so much
that it wouldn’t start in the morning,” Dalton
says. Another solution was using generators, but he notes
those had their own complications. “The smell of
exhaust was bad, and we would be yelling (over the roar) at
the dinner table.” The village of Hotevilla, he adds,
was even called “Generator City” at one time.
Solar power provided a more appealing option while
maintaining Hopi self-sufficiency. “When you get your
own system, it’s yours,” Tewa says.
“There’s no power line, and no right of way
into the villages.”
Native Sun began operations with money from foundation
grants, and a revolving loan program helped community
residents purchase solar panels; today, the loan program is
administered by a local bank.
The energy company offers an array of photovoltaic systems:
two, four or eight panels, stationary or rotating. Most of
the options now are in operation somewhere on the
reservation.
NonProfit Solar
Similar issues confront members of the Navajo Nation, whose
reservation surrounds the Hopi Reservation. The Navajo
remain one of the largest populations in the country
without electricity; current estimates are that 10,000 to
25,000 Navajo homes lack grid-based power.
But there, too, many people are recognizing the potential
of solar energy and working to fill the growing demand for
solar panels. Native American Photovoltaics (NAPV), a
nonprofit organization that was founded in 1998 by New York
architect Gregory Kiss, has constructed 44 solar systems
for off-grid homes on the Navajo Reservation near the towns
of Winslow and Dilkon. NAPV’s mission is to bring
electricity to people who live in rural areas where utility
companies are unlikely to ever extend their lines.
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