Five Tribes Benefit from Hands-On Training in Solar Operations and Maintenance

In October, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) partnered with GRID Alternatives to provide a valuable training experience to the technical staffs of five Indian tribes from around the country. The weeklong workshop, which was funded by the DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs primarily through its Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Program, provided instruction and guidelines on the operations and maintenance (O&M) of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, which all of the participating tribes have recently installed or will install soon in their communities. The tribes participating in the training included the Blue Lake Rancheria, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Picuris Pueblo, and St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.