Microgrids for tribes. Energy sovereignty, built on your terms.
Reliable, independent power that advances self-determination, resilience, and economic development for your nation. OATI’s experience planning and deploying microgrids for tribes brings your energy sovereignty vision to life.
For tribal nations, energy is about more than electrons— it’s about self-determination. A microgrid can reduce dependence on an outside grid, harden reliability in areas too often underserved, and create a platform for economic development that stays under your nation’s control. OATI has extensive experience partnering with tribal nations to turn that vision into infrastructure.
What is a microgrid?
A microgrid is more than backup generation. It is a locally managed energy system that connects resources such as solar, battery storage and generators with the facilities a community chooses to prioritize. During normal operations, it can reduce energy costs and peak demand. When the larger grid fails, it can separate—or island—and keep critical services running.
For Tribal Nations, that creates a practical path toward energy sovereignty. Microgrids can protect clinics, emergency services, schools, government facilities and Tribal enterprises while giving the community greater control over how its energy is produced, managed and valued. A well-designed system can also support economic development, stronger utility partnerships and future revenue opportunities.
What matters to tribes
Self-determination and independence. Own and control your energy infrastructure, reducing reliance on external utilities and advancing long-term energy sovereignty.
Reliability where it’s been lacking. Automatic islanding and intelligent dispatch harden power for remote and historically underserved communities.
Economic development. Microgrids can spur local economic development and open new revenue opportunities — a foundation your nation builds on, not a service you rent.
A proven tribal partner. OATI is providing design, engineering, and deployment for microgrids orchestrated by GridMind® for the Colville Tribes and Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, with goals of improved reliability, fewer outages, economic development, and long-term independence.
How we support tribal microgrid projects
Woven Energy, a tribal energy developer, was leading a multi-site microgrid project for the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in Northern California. They needed a partner that could support the onsite microgrid controls and resource optimization in addition to engineering and design support.
OATI GridMind® is integrated in both microgrid sites to optimize how each system produces, stores and uses power through automated, timely and rule-based actions. OATI also provided design and deployment expertise to support integrated controls in normal operations and the ability for each microgrid to operate together or independently. Ultimately, tribal leaders aim to use GridMind® as the key enabler of an independent, tribal-owned utility.
Learn more about the project in recent coverage from Microgrid Knowledge and Energy Storage News.
The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians’ energy sovereignty journey was featured in a recent episode of Threads of Connectivity, a documentary series distributed by NatGeo. Watch the full episode here.
Enabling energy sovereignty for Colville Tribes
Colville Tribes faced declining service quality, power outages, and increasing energy costs. With help from OATI, they’re realizing the opportunities made possible by taking back their power.
Partnerships
OATI and Native Sun team up to bring clean energy and resilience to tribal nations
Native Sun, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, has entered the final phase of deployment for its pioneering Electric Nation program. Building on agreements Native Sun has made with tribal nations across the Upper Midwest, OATI, through its subsidiary EVolution™, will provide the EV charging infrastructure, smart charging software platform, and customer support necessary for Tribal communities to have reliable charging options for their electric vehicles.
Native Sun and OATI are coordinating the installation of the EV charging infrastructure for these tribal nations. Once installed, each Tribe will own their station outright, along with extended warranty service for long-term ownership and benefit.
Resources to keep your
microgrid project on track.
Tribal energy sovereignty brochure
Tribal nations know that they want energy sovereignty, but not always how to get there. OATI bridges the gap by providing consultation, design and engineering, and orchestration of community-changing energy resilience projects, including microgrids and EV charging.
Request the brochure to learn more.
Northwest Public Broadcasting: Power outages are getting worse on Colville Tribe homelands. New microgrids could be a big part of the solution
Learn more about our partnership with Colville Tribes to deploy microgrids and EV charging stations.
OATI GridMind® Datasheet
OATI GridMind® addresses the needs of many commercial and industrial businesses who are looking for more stable energy prices by self-generating power with a microgrid.
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