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PINE POINT, MINN. – A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Pine Point Resilience Hub (PPRH) began with a silent prayer by a spiritual elder, tobacco pipe smoke wafting in four compass points.
Pine Point School and numerous partners flipped the switch on the solar and battery system on Monday, May 4.
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The hub, also dubbed Waabizii1, was dedicated to Mike Swan. Waabizi means “swan” in Ojibwe, and the late Swan was a pillar of the community.
The 500-kilowatt solar array, paired with a 2.475 megawatt-hour battery, is capable of powering the building through a full blackout.
It’s based at the K-8 school and community center in Pine Point, located on the White Earth Reservation.
“It’s a big day,” said mistress of ceremonies Sandra Kwak. She’s founder and CEO of 10Power, “a climate justice, renewable energy project developer” that works with tribal nations, schools, nonprofits and underserved communities globally.
“It’s designed to provide backup power in the case of emergencies, so that people can come here, shelter in the gym, have backup electricity, be able to continue sustaining themselves in the community,” she explained.
The PPRH contributes to the grid as a whole, too. “Instead of being a drain in times of strain, the battery has potential to provide capacity, helping to provide stability,” Kwak said.
It will also save the school money on electricity bills year-round, “liberating dollars that can be reinvested” into classrooms and children.
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This project was five years in the making.
The hub endured headwinds.
It was launched under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, then faced “a turbulent transition as the current administration clawed back clean energy grants, dismantled equity programs and moved to eliminate tax credits for clean energy. Billions of dollars awarded to support community-based projects were terminated by the White House,” according to a news release.
In the release, Kwak said, “This project thankfully prevailed, but many others were canceled. Now, we’re working to help as many as possible qualify for tax credits before they end.”
Financing the solar installation required a patchwork of public and private resources, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund, the Verizon Climate Resilience Prize, a private bridge loan and more.
Kwak said, “Through an innovative capital stack, we were able to make this project happen at zero dollars out of pocket to the school.”
Tara Hammond from the Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation partners with philanthropists to finance projects like this one.
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“One of the funding streams is the tax credit, which in this case, covered half of the project cost. The Trump administration escalated a tax on clean energy and environmental protections, but has also weakened the resilience and capacity of our social systems to support our communities,” Hammond said.
A philanthropist who believed in Pine Point’s vision “chose to step up, not only despite the federal uncertainty, but because of it. That’s what we need in this moment,” she said.
Minnesota’s Solar for Schools Program was another crucial supporter, awarding $500,000.
“This is one of almost 200 Solar for Schools projects that are in the works or have happened so far,” said program manager Amanda Scheinebeck. “You’re one of the few projects that is sized to produce 100% of the energy needs for your building,” along with battery storage.
PPRH is a role model, she added, for incorporating curriculum and technology career aspects.
Technical assistance was provided by the Clean Energy Resource Teams. Additional tech help as well funding came from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Sandia National Labs.
The solar panels were manufactured at Heliene’s plant in Mountain Iron, Minn.
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The battery is American-made lithium iron phosphate, sourced from Texas-based ELM Microgrid.
Zeigler Energy Solutions was selected through a competitive request for proposals to install the array.
An Indigenous-owned local firm, Design Electric, handled subcontracting.
According to the release, the Pine Point community sits in the 98th percentile nationally for energy burden – the share of household income spent on electricity.
“Across the U.S., Indigenous people face the highest energy poverty of any demographic group. Fourteen percent of reservation homes lack electricity entirely, and nearly half lack reliable clean water or adequate sanitation,” the release states.
Pine Point Community Council member Gerald Roberts said, toward the end of his grandmother’s life, she was on oxygen all of the time. “So that’s what got me excited about this project,” he said.
Pine Point School was built as an all-electric facility with ground-source heat pumps.
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According to the release, “The new system was projected to save the school $1.15 million over 25 years. That figure has since been revised downward by roughly $324,000 after the local utility, Itasca-Mantrap Electric Cooperative, announced a rate increase.”
Calling it “a bright, new chapter” and “monumental achievement” for the school and community, Superintendent Chris Schultz said, “Today, we aren’t just cutting a ribbon. We are capturing the power of the sun … By turning to the sun, we are doing more than reducing our carbon footprint. We are ensuring financial stability. The installation provides resiliency, ensuring our school remains a steady, powered beacon for the community for decades to come.”
The White Earth Tribe will own the system long term.
A joint venture was created between 10Power and 8th Fire Solar, a community development initiative in Pine Point founded by Winona LaDuke. Together, they’ll handle operations and maintenance of PPRH, funded through the school’s energy savings. They are recruiting a community member to train as a solar and battery technician.
White Earth Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbanks spoke about the hub’s role in self-determination, while also growing relationships.
The release says White Earth is among dozens of tribal nations establishing tribal utility commissions and writing their own utility codes.
Nathan Matthews, director of the White Earth Tribal Utility Commission (TUC), said, “Policies like net metering are essential not just for economics, but for protecting tribal ratepayers and advancing energy sovereignty.”
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Established in 2022, Matthews said the TUC serves “as a conduit and support mechanism for tribal council initiatives.”
“This is a cutting edge project. This is very, very new territory for rural Minnesota and also for Indian country, so be proud of this project. It took a lot of work,” he said.
There are four electric service providers on the reservation. Matthews noted the PPRH will overproduce electricity in summer, when school is out and grid power is most expensive.
In the news release, Matthews called on Itasca-Mantrap Electric Cooperative and its wholesale provider, Great River Energy, to develop battery participation programs that would let installations like Pine Point’s feed clean power back to the grid during peak periods, potentially lowering costs for everyone.
Michael LaRoque, White Earth secretary of the treasury, expressed hope that similar hubs will be created in neighboring communities.
LaDuke said the PPRH is a foothold, not a finish line. “This is just the beginning – that’s why it’s called Waabizii1. Next up: getting solar on every home that wants it.”
Schultz told students to “look at these panels as a promise. They represent our commitment to being good stewards to the earth, blending a modern nation with the timeless respect for nature that the people of White Earth have honored for generations.”
Laura Lee Erickson, Pine Point’s District 3 representative on the White Earth Tribal Council, shared that sentiment. “Harnessing this gift from the sun gives us power and is in line with the ways of the earth and traditional stewardship values,” she said in a statement.
On Monday, Erickson thanked the team members for their dedication, “turning an idea into something tangible, something that will generate clean energy, reduce environmental impact and set an example for those to follow. This project is huge.”
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a White Earth Tribal member, sent a letter of congratulations.
“With your broad and far-reaching approach, your project showcases the strength and values of the White Earth Nation,” she wrote. “Incorporating the unique expertise and Ojibwe language into the planning, construction and implementation of the solar farm demonstrates what we have always known: that we will continue to break barriers, uphold our traditions and identities and be good stewards of our lands.”
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