South Dakota is a prime candidate for renewable energy developments like solar. However, one group wants to make sure that power and career potential reaches every corner of the state.
Pine Ridge-based Red Cloud Renewables has just welcomed its fourth wholly Indigenous cohort into its pre-ARP, or apprenticeship readiness program, for the year. After the program, participants are “rooftop ready” to install solar panels as a career.
Alicia Hayden is the group’s communications manager. She explains how the program works.
“They learn basically everything there is to know about being a solar installer," Hayden said. "They stay here on campus, so we give them gas money to get here or buy them a plane ticket to get here. We give them meals, we provide lodging, everything is free to the individual. When they leave here, they’re ready to enter the workforce.”
There’s more to it than just helping people find career paths, though.
“Separately from our pre-ARP, we run a weatherization program which allows us to have this cache of community members we know are struggling with their energy bills," Hayden said. "So, we select an applicant out of there and then nearing the end of this we take the class there, to their home, and get the class on the roof and install solar panels for them, and its free for the homeowners as well.”
Hayden said the projects actively lower the cost of energy bills for families in need.
“Especially on this reservation, there’s so much energy hardship and there’s so much sunshine and so much open space," Hayden said. "When you drive through the reservation, you hardly see any trees and hardly anything that blocks out the sun. When we install these panels, we see a huge decrease in energy bills on our side of things. There’s no better place for a program like this.”
This program is funded through grant dollars and public funds.
In total, the group plans for seven pre-ARP programs by the end of the year for 100 total trainees. Information to get involved can be found at the Red Cloud Renewables website.