Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) is proud to announce the first of 125 home solar installations on the Navajo Nation, funded by NTEC and a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). The installation took place on a remote hogan in the Oljato Chapter of the Navajo Nation. More than 13,000 homes on the Navajo Nation are currently not connected to the electric grid, which limits access to adequate water, refrigeration, cooling, and connectivity. Programs like NTEC’s Navajo Sun Power! provides Navajo homes with solar power that electrify Navajo homes and make them eligible for other critical upgrades and public services.

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Courtesy of Yolanda Benally

These systems will be added to some of the most remote homes on the Navajo Nation, homes which are not anticipated to get electricity or connected to the grid for at least the next 3 to 5 years. These types of programs dramatically improve the lives of Navajo families that benefit from them. “Solar power is like a wellspring of hope in a dry desert,” said Oljato Chapter President Willis Begay. “Just as a spring offers life-sustaining water to those who have been parched, electricity invigorates individuals’ lives, helping them thrive rather than merely survive in challenging conditions.” The first installation, funded by OCED and completed by NTEC, was in the Oljato Chapter area, near Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation. Begay further noted that “for community members with diabetes, refrigeration is paramount. Access to a reliable power source enables the proper storage of insulin and other medications that must be kept cool, allowing individuals to maintain their health at home rather than depending on relatives for life-saving medicines.” He added, “I want to thank OCED and NTEC for giving us the opportunity to participate in this program.”

Navajo Sun Power! began in 2020 and has already installed 35 solar systems, worth approximately $850,000 on homes on the Navajo Nation. NTEC recently expanded the program to add 125 homes (25 per Navajo agency). In May of 2024, OCED awarded NTEC $2.6 million to support 75 installations over the next five years. NTEC will cover the cost of the remaining systems. It expects to complete 25 installations beginning with the Western Agency this year, and 25 each year thereafter. The OCED grant and NTEC cover 100 percent of the cost of the solar panel system and batteries, system installation including any minor electrical work necessary for the home to meet Navajo Nation electrical safety codes, and education in the operation and maintenance of the system.

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“Just as a spring offers life-sustaining water to those who have been parched, electricity invigorates individuals’ lives, helping them thrive rather than merely survive in challenging conditions.”