Native News Online, one of the most widely read Indigenous news outlets in the United States, covers the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians’ partnership with OATI and Woven Energy to build a solar and battery microgrid system in Northern California.
The article, written by publisher and editor Levi Rickert, focuses on the energy sovereignty dimension of the project — how the combination of 4.5 MW of solar and 21 MWh of battery storage, managed by OATI’s GridMind® platform, will give the tribe direct control over its energy future in a region where wildfires and utility outages are a recurring threat.
Tribal CEO Damon Safranek emphasized that the project reflects the tribe’s commitment to stewardship and community well-being, calling energy independence inseparable from the tribe’s core values.
“Energy is the foundation that everything else in our region depends on; homes, businesses, healthcare systems, emergency services, and the natural systems we have a responsibility to protect,” Safranek said. “This microgrid is about making sure the Tribe and our neighbors have reliable power during the moments that matter most, whether that’s a wildfire, a heat wave, or a peak demand event on the grid.”