NextNRG partners with tribes on solar panels and energy storage

“In order for us to control our own destiny,” Marshall Pierite said, “we have to create our own destiny.”

Pierite, the chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe based in Marksville, Louisiana, told Tech Brew that part of creating that destiny is becoming energy independent.

That’s why the tribe is partnering with NextNRG, a renewable energy company, to bring a 6 megawatt solar power system to the Tunica-Biloxi reservation, casino, movie theater, and cultural center in Marksville. The solar infrastructure, which will also include 6 megawatts of battery storage, will power some of the tribe’s buildings, reduce energy prices for tribal members by 20%, and create around 20 jobs in the area, according to NextNRG CEO Michael Farkas. Plus, it will provide the tribe—and surrounding rural area—with reliable energy that can better withstand extreme weather, a common occurrence in Louisiana.

The partnership was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes tax credits that reduce the cost of renewable energy infrastructure. Having finalized their partnership, NextNRG and the tribe are currently awaiting funding from the federal government.

Energy independence and job creation are the “dual purpose” for the partnership, Pierite said. And using renewable energy to power tribal functions and boost the area’s economy are in line with Native values.

“We get every fiber of our being from our land, our water,” Pierite told Tech Brew. “Across Indian Country—the solar, wind, hydro, geothermal power—leveraging these natural resources, tribal nations can really generate sustainable energy and create jobs.”

In this way, Pierite hopes to “position Indian country to become the next greatest asset for America” thanks to its well-kept natural resources. He said that he chose to work with NextNRG, which is also working with several other tribes, because the company came to meet him and see Tunica-Biloxi’s land in person.

“Most of the people that reach out to us about renewable energy ask us to meet them in DC, New York, or California,” Pierite told Tech Brew. “But I knew that commitment and dedication was there when they said, ‘We’re going to meet y’all in Marksville.’”

The tribes NextNRG is working with aren’t the only Indigenous and Native groups looking to set up solar power infrastructure on their lands. Earlier this month, Chinese solar module manufacturer JinkoSolar donated more than 2,000 solar modules to bring renewable power to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana, the Chippewa Cree Tribe in Montana, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. The donation is being managed by Indigenized Energy, a Native-led organization that helps tribes achieve energy independence. Cody Two Bears, the organization’s executive director, told Tech Brew that it’s vital for tribes to no longer outsource their power, to be more weather-resilient, and to harness the opportunity to provide clean energy across the US.

“We have some of the most pristine lands in the country—now we’re seen as a target of value because we took care of these lands so well,” Two Bears said. “That gives us a unique opportunity to provide more energy to the grid out there for the greater good of America.”

The Tunica-Biloxi tribe is a 51% owner of the legal entity that set up the NextNRG solar partnership, and will ideally manage the energy infrastructure via on-site worker training from NextNRG, according to Jin Kang, who helped fund the partnership through the eco-focused venture firm TrueAnarock. Kang also said jobs maintaining the solar infrastructure will start at $22.50 an hour—and Pierite said they’d be available to Marksville residents outside the tribe as well.

Farkas told Tech Brew that the technology his company will be installing will “help [the Tunica-Biloxi tribe] in the future” as the renewable energy economy grows in Louisiana.

“We think it’s gonna be very impactful for the tribe and for the local community across the board,” Farkas said.