Sunnova Energy International, Generac Power Systems and Empowered by Light (EBL), a San Francisco-based non-profit, have partnered to deliver a free photo voltaic + storage undertaking to the Laborious Rock Chapter Home within the Navajo Nation.
Sunnova photo voltaic set up on Laborious Rock Chapter Home within the Navajo Nation by Fusion Energy. Sunnova
“For a few years now, our folks have been against coal mining on our lands and we nonetheless really feel the results of the mining right this moment. With this new undertaking, we will lastly shift to renewables and present our complete group the advantages and resilience of nature by harnessing clear power from the solar to energy our each day actions on the Chapter Home, whereas combating local weather change,” stated Jay Begay, Laborious Rock Chapter Home president, Navajo Nation. “Our group depends on the important providers offered on the Chapter Home as a result of we reside in a really distant space. The Chapter’s aim is to repeatedly develop these providers, and with the additional invoice financial savings from our new photo voltaic + storage system, we intention to do exactly that — develop and higher our sources for the folks we serve.”
Fusion Energy designed a Sunnova SunSafe photo voltaic + storage system to fulfill the wants of the group. Sunnova and Generac labored collectively to equip and fund the 18-kW photo voltaic system and 36kWh PWRcell power storage system. The photo voltaic + storage system has a 25-year guarantee.
“The Laborious Rock Chapter Home serves as a central assembly place the place the Navajo group is ready to collect and this undertaking was an opportunity for us to assist make an influence by offering clear, dependable energy, whereas additionally lowering their electrical energy payments to assist them reinvest the financial savings to strengthen their group,” stated Kelsey Hultberg, EVP, Communications and Sustainability, Sunnova. “Regardless that the Chapter Home is distant, in occasions of want this technique will play a essential function in making certain the group can have clear and dependable backup energy for years to come back.”
With over 270 sunny days a 12 months, the Navajo Nation is the biggest contiguous premium photo voltaic useful resource space within the Western United States, in line with ScienceDirect. This plentiful clear power useful resource can energy scalable photo voltaic installations just like the photo voltaic + storage system, and create not solely financial savings, but in addition promote photo voltaic as an training, workforce growth and cultural preservation software.
A Chapter Home is much like a city council the place group members can collect for key conferences and have entry to providers, like distribution of hay, free trash disposal, faxing, printing, notarizing, blading unpaved roads, and extra. As a substitute of driving out of the reservation to finish each day duties, residents are capable of keep native and get monetary savings on gasoline.
“About 14,000 Navajo households are nonetheless residing with out entry to electrical energy, so along with having extra sources for the group due to the utility invoice financial savings from the Sunnova system, the Chapter Home can proceed serving as an ideal useful resource for the group when the grid fails,” stated Moira Hanes, govt director and co-Founder, EBL. “Group members can proceed to assemble, and likewise prepare dinner meals, get emergency provides, and keep heat within the winter since many houses don’t have a warmth supply.”
Information merchandise from Sunnova
