Keshena, Wisconsin
This project will build a 40kW ground mount solar project on the campus of the Sustainable Development Institute at the College of the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wisconsin.
The overall goal of the project is to develop the capacity of the Menominee tribe to plan, build, and maintain a large portfolio of solar projects so that the values and tradition the tribe has long applied in stewardship of water, wildlife, and forest can be extended into stewardship of energy resources. The proposed project would be built on the grounds of the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) and is the first step on the journey to energy sovereignty for the tribe. The highly visible and accessible location of the project and ground mount will help promote awareness and serve as a teaching instrument for a variety of course-based and workshop based education programs. Through strategic partnerships with established solar workforce and training leaders, the project will directly involve students and tribal members in the classroom training and the actual construction processes, planting the seeds of a tribal solar workforce and creating equitable access to well-paying jobs in the renewable energy sector.