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PINE POINT, Minn. — The White Earth Reservation is celebrating the launch of its new solar-powered grid, which supporters say will save on energy resources — and money.
Pine Point School and numerous partners flipped the switch on the Pine Point Resilience Hub on Monday, May 4.
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The 500-kilowatt solar array, paired with a 2.475 megawatt-hour battery, is capable of powering the K-8 school building and community center through a full blackout.
“It’s a big day,” said Sandra Kwak, founder and CEO of 10Power, a 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 hub 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.
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.
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This project was five years in the making.
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.
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.
“Through an innovative capital stack, we were able to make this project happen at zero dollars out of pocket to the school,” Kwak said.
Tara Hammond from the Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation partners with philanthropists to finance projects like this one.
“One of the funding streams is the tax credit, which in this case, covered half of the project cost,” Hammond said. “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.”
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.
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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.
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.
Pine Point School was built as an all-electric facility with ground-source heat pumps.
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.”
“By turning to the sun, we are doing more than reducing our carbon footprint,” school Superintendent Chris Schultz said. “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.
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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 hub, funded through the school’s energy savings. They are recruiting a community member to train as a solar and battery technician.
There are four electric service providers on the reservation. Nathan Matthews, director of the White Earth Tribal Utility Commission, noted the Pine Point Resilience Hub will overproduce electricity in summer, when school is out and grid power is most expensive.
LaDuke said the Pine Point Resilience Hub 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 on May 4 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, agreed.
“Harnessing this gift from the sun gives us power and is in line with the ways of the earth and traditional stewardship values,” Erickson said in a statement.
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