Empowering Communities to Take Control of Their Energy Future
In a world increasingly consumed by the looming threat of climate change, the need for a sustainable energy revolution has never been more pressing. But the path to a clean energy future isn’t just about the big players – the CEOs, politicians, and venture capitalists making headlines. There’s a quiet revolution happening at the grassroots level, as communities across the country take matters into their own hands and fight for energy democracy.
Renewable energy cooperatives are at the forefront of this movement, empowering people to collectively access, own, and control their own clean energy sources. These community-driven initiatives are proving that the clean energy transition doesn’t have to be top-down and exclusionary – it can be a grassroots, people-powered revolution that benefits everyone, not just the wealthy few.
As Canary Media’s “Power by the People” series has explored, these renewable energy co-ops are springing up across the country, from Native American reservations to urban neighborhoods, each with their own unique story and approach. But they’re all united by a common goal: to break free from the grip of monopolistic utilities and energy companies and put the power – literally and figuratively – back into the hands of the people.
Reclaiming Energy Sovereignty: The Rise of Native-Led Clean Energy
One of the most inspiring examples of this grassroots energy revolution can be found on Native American tribal lands. For too long, these lands have been exploited for their natural resources, with the profits and energy generated shipped away, leaving behind pollution and environmental devastation.
But a growing movement among Native communities is changing that narrative. By reclaiming energy sovereignty, they’re not only protecting their ecosystems and sacred places, but also ensuring that energy development benefits the people living on that land, rather than exploiting them.
As Canary Media reported, the Nez Perce tribe in the Pacific Northwest is working on an ambitious plan to replace 5,311 megawatts of Snake River hydropower capacity with Native-developed solar and energy storage on tribal lands. This would not only facilitate the restoration of devastated fish populations, but also inject clean energy onto the grid where coal plants once burned.
Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation is developing more than 900 megawatts of utility-scale solar, while the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority is working on 750 megawatts of solar and storage. These projects are not just contributing to the nation’s renewable energy infrastructure – they’re also providing economic opportunities and reinvesting the profits back into the community.
“Native people can now take back these profits, take back these resources, and start taking care of the planet and taking care of our communities,” said Robert Blake, a tribal citizen of the Red Lake Nation of Ojibwe people and the founder of Solar Bear, a company leading the charge on solar development in his community.
Collective Power: Community Solar Cooperatives
While Native American tribes are leading the charge on large-scale renewable energy projects, community solar cooperatives are empowering people in urban and suburban areas to take control of their energy future as well.
As Canary Media reported, Mohammed Nasrullah and his wife were able to install solar panels on their home thanks to a local solar co-op in the Houston area. By banding together with their neighbors, they were able to leverage their collective buying power to get a better deal on their solar installation than they would have as individual consumers.
But it’s not just about the financial benefits. These co-ops also foster a sense of community and shared ownership, with members playing an active role in decision-making and advocating for their collective interests. And once the solar is installed, the co-op members remain coordinated, working together to maximize the benefits of their clean energy investment.
“They have a list of what co-ops are open right now for people to sign up,” Nasrullah said, “including four that are being supported by the city of Houston.” And if there’s no co-op in a particular area, the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors provides guidance on how to start one.
Empowering Marginalized Communities
While the clean energy transition is often portrayed as a high-tech, high-stakes game played by the wealthy and powerful, the reality is that some of the most impactful work is happening in marginalized communities that have long been left behind by the traditional energy system.
Take the case of Highland Park, Michigan, a majority-Black community that has faced a litany of challenges, from utility rate hikes and power outages to streetlight repossession by the local monopoly utility. But rather than accepting their fate, the people of Highland Park have banded together to build their own community-owned energy infrastructure.
As Canary Media reported, the nonprofit Soulardarity has been leading the charge, starting with a crowdfunding campaign to install solar-powered streetlights that operate independently of the utility grid. This initial project has since blossomed into a broader blueprint for energy democracy, with Soulardarity championing policies that empower communities to take control of their energy destiny.
“Being able to resolve our own issues is one of our guiding principles,” said DeAngelus Garcia Jr., a local organizer with Soulardarity. “One of the ways we do that is by championing policy as well.”
Navigating the Regulatory Landscape
While grassroots initiatives like renewable energy cooperatives and community-owned projects are inspiring, they often have to navigate a complex and heavily regulated energy landscape just to get off the ground. And at the heart of this regulatory system are the often-obscure public utility commissions (PUCs).
As Canary Media explained, these state-level agencies wield tremendous power over the energy decisions that impact communities, from approving new power plants and transmission lines to setting utility rates and policies around electric vehicles and energy efficiency.
Yet, these regulatory bodies remain largely unknown to the general public, operating in arcane, legalistic ways that can be inaccessible and exclusionary. This is a problem, as Firewinder and other experts argue that community engagement and advocacy are crucial to ensuring these commissions make decisions that truly serve the public interest, not just the interests of the monopolistic utilities they’re tasked with overseeing.
“Nobody knows who they are and that has to change, especially if we’re going to make any real headway in reducing energy burdens and greenhouse gases in our state,” said Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, one of the few advocates regularly engaging with Louisiana’s public utility commission.
A Grassroots Clean Energy Revolution
The clean energy transition is not just about the big players and the headline-grabbing deals – it’s also about the quietly determined communities that are taking matters into their own hands and building a more equitable, sustainable energy future from the ground up.
From Native American tribes reclaiming their energy sovereignty to urban neighborhoods banding together in solar cooperatives, these grassroots initiatives are proving that the power to transform our energy systems lies not just in the boardrooms and legislative chambers, but in the hands of the people.
Sure, the regulatory landscape can be daunting, and the challenges facing these community-led efforts are often daunting. But as the examples in this article have shown, when people come together and organize for change, they can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and chart a new course for their energy future.
So as we continue to grapple with the looming threat of climate change, let’s not forget about the unsung heroes of the clean energy revolution – the community organizers, the tribal leaders, the solar co-op members, and the everyday people who are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work to build a better, brighter, more sustainable tomorrow. Their stories deserve to be heard, and their vision for the future deserves to be realized.