2023 Energy Predictions: IRA Spurs Clean Energy Boom, Electric Trucks Accelerate, Battery Demand Surges, EPA Cuts Power Sector Pollution
2022 was arguably the most important year in United States climate action: Landmark federal legislation and pro-climate state elections have paved the way for a clean energy boom in every corner of the country.
Climate law boost for renewables hits barrier on tribal lands
The climate law enacted this year lifted a long-standing financial barrier for Native American tribes seeking to build and own their own clean energy projects. But the boost for energy development in Indian Country has an infrastructure problem: It could be many years before tribes can connect solar and wind projects to the power grid.
Seeking tribal sovereignty through solar
A group of Midwestern Native American “solar warriors” is working to help tribes break cycles of energy poverty and what they call “colonial exploitation” with access to locally controlled, low-cost renewable power. Recently rebranded the Indigenized Energy Initiative (IEI), they serve as a kind of utility incubator that assists with the creation of new solar installations, including offering education on construction and how to secure federal funds.