What is the current electricity situation for reservations in the Southwest?
It is estimated that the dwellings of 18,000 families on the Navajo Nation are not electrified. And for Hopi it is estimated that at least 2,500 families’ dwellings are not electrified. Many people want grid power, but it is costly to string power lines on any reservation. In Indian country there are so many different policies that blanket the reservations. For example, on my reservation, the Hopi lands, you have right-of-way issues. Then there are archeological clearances and environmental clearances. The process is lengthy. And no doubt, the cost is high. Beyond the policy problems, it is estimated that it costs $27,000 per mile to string power lines, so going off-grid makes sense economically. For $5,000-$7,000, we can put in solar-powered electricity within two days, enabling a family to have enough power to run lights, a TV, sewing machine, kitchen appliances, maybe a vacuum cleaner, and small power tools. How did you get into this work? I began as a commercial electrician, then s
