Sunnova solar installation on Hard Rock Chapter House in the Navajo Nation by Fusion Power
Sunnova Energy International Inc. ("Sunnova") (NYSE: NOVA), Generac Power Systems, Inc. ("Generac") (NYSE: GNRC), and San Francisco based non-profit, Empowered by Light (EBL), have partnered to bring resilient and clean energy to the Hard Rock Chapter House in the Navajo Nation with a free solar + battery storage system and 25 years of Sunnova's industry leading service.
"For many years now, our people have been opposed to coal mining on our lands and we still feel the effects of the mining today. With this new project, we can finally shift to renewables and show our entire community the benefit s and resilience of nature by harnessing clean energy from the sun to power our daily activities at the Chapter House, while combating climate change," said Jay Begay, Hard Rock Chapter House President, Navajo Nation. "Our community relies on the essential services provided at the Chapter House because we live in a very remote area. The Chapter's goal is to continuously develop these services, and with the extra bill savings from our new solar + storage system, we aim to do just that - expand and better our resources for the people we serve."
"The Hard Rock Chapter House serves as a central meeting place where the Navajo community is able to gather and this project was a chance for us to help make an impact by providing clean, reliable power, while also reducing their electricity bills to help them reinvest the savings to strengthen their community," said Kelsey Hultberg, EVP, Communications and Sustainability, Sunnova. "We're honored that we were able to help create a first of its kind solar + storage system in the Navajo Nation that includes our service. Even though the Chapter House is remote, in times of need this system will play a critical role in ensuring the community will have clean and reliable back-up power for years to come."
To bring this project to life, Sunnova worked with Fusion Power, a Sunnova Dealer, to design a top-of-the-line Sunnova SunSafe® solar + storage system to meet the needs of the community. Sunnova and Generac worked together to equip and fund the 18-kilowatt solar system and 36kWh PWRcell energy storage system. Sunnova is providing a 25-year bumper-to-bumper Sunnova Protect® service warranty for the entire system.
"Generac is proud to support the Navajo Nation and help ensure that the community has much-needed resiliency and power when the sun isn't shining," said Keith Marett, President, Clean Energy - Commercial, Generac Power Systems. "Batteries allow for self-sufficiency in a way that solar alone doesn't. The addition of a Generac PWRcell energy storage system to the solar installation means that the lights will stay on and the water will continue to run, even when the grid goes down."
Generac battery installation on the Hard Rock Chapter House in the Navajo Nation by Fusion Power
Through EBL, Sunnova identified this project as a key candidate for Sunnova's adaptive solar + storage solution, with the goal of offsetting the Chapter House's electricity bills and providing resiliency for the community. With over 270 sunny days a year, the Navajo Nation is the largest contiguous premium solar resource area in the Western United States, according to ScienceDirect. This abundant clean energy resource can power scalable solar installations like the solar + storage system, and create not only savings, but also promote solar as an education, work force development and cultural preservation tool.
"About 14,000 Navajo families are still living without access to electricity, so in addition to having more resources for the community thanks to the utility bill savings from the Sunnova system, the Chapter House can continue serving as a great resource for the community when the grid fails," said Moira Hanes, Executive Director and Co-Founder, EBL. "Community members can continue to gather, and also cook food, get emergency supplies, and stay warm in the winter since many homes don't have a heat source."
A Chapter House is similar to a town council where community members can gather for key meetings and have access to services, like distribution of hay, free trash disposal, faxing, printing, notarizing, blading unpaved roads, and more. Instead of having to drive long periods of time outside the reservation to complete daily tasks, residents are able to stay local and even save money on gas.
Check out a short reel of the solar + storage installation here.
