Residential Solar Program Background

The Hopi Utilities Corporation (HUC) has secured multiple federal grants to bring solar electricity to Hopi residences, improve electrical reliability across the reservation, and create new jobs for Hopi people. Please read through the Background and FAQs and reach out with any questions!

The Hopi Tribe is a resilient community that has also been chronically underserved, disadvantaged, and coal-impacted with high poverty rates and extreme energy inequity. The US Department of Energy estimates 35% of Hopi households do not have electricity access and households that are grid-connected suffer from frequent and extended outages due to insufficient infrastructure. 

For the past 50 years, the Tribe’s economy has been driven by coal-related operations, creating dependence on a single economic engine. Coal-related operations ended abruptly in 2019 with the closure of the Navajo Generating Station and the associated Kayenta Mine. While an improvement for health and air quality, this led to the loss of over 1,900 jobs in the region and an 85% reduction in the Tribe’s annual revenue. 

The Hopi Tribe has developed and documented goals to enhance energy sovereignty and improve energy access and reliability. In 2023-2024, the Hopi Utilities Corporation secured three grants totaling approximately $35 million to help address these concerns and goals. The benefits of these grants include:

1. Reducing the burden of electricity access and utility billing for low-income Hopi households.

2. Increasing access to solar energy and the associated improvements in air quality.

3. Enhancing energy resiliency to reduce the negative impacts from power outages.

4. Empowering the community to determine the most appropriate solar home systems and ownership models that are aligned with cultural values.

5. Creating quality, long-term employment opportunities through workforce development and a commitment to a Hopi Hiring Preference requirement.

Due to the cancellation of the Solar for All Grant by the Trump administration's EPA, this program lost $25 million. We are continuing forward with the remaining funds to bring solar to homes without electricity and employment opportunities for Hopi people to the fullest extent we are able. Please see the home page for more information about the illegal cancellation of this grant.