SUN is the world’s first native-owned solar power cooperative. Founded by entrepreneur and environmentalist Mark Glen Moore, SUN was designed specifically to promote economic growth and self-determination for Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States.
Mark Glen Moore, CEO
Tribes who qualify to partner with SUN become part of a historic multilateral solar energy network.
SUN consults with your tribe to determine the optimal location and size of the solar energy plant and then takes care of every step of the process: from planning to construction; management to electricity sales. Absolutely no financial investment from your tribe is required. Tribal partners need only allow use of suitable lands.The SUN partner model has been carefully developed to ensure all partner tribes will maximize revenue and minimize risk. Complete transparency is guaranteed, along with voting rights on collective decisions.
Our goal is to empower you and other co-owner tribes to benefit from the global shift towards solar power in an economically safe, environmentally responsible way. Solar energy is clean, renewable and engages the power of nature without inflicting harm on sacred lands.
Since 2001, SUN has been working alongside experts in the solar industry to create state-of-the-art solar modules and holds several solar energy patents with others pending.
Now is the time to ride the solar wave. Solar energy in the U.S. is booming, helping to power the transition to a clean energy economy. The demand for solar also reflects a shift towards sustainability and lighter living that is rapidly gaining momentum.
Solar power is now the cheapest and most abundant source of energy in the world.
In December 2016, the cost of building and installing solar electricity generation dropped to $1.65 per watt, beating wind-generated electricity, ($1.66/Watt) and fossil fuel.
Solar is being installed at an exponential pace.
In early 2016, the millionth solar system was installed in the United States. The next million installations are expected to occur within the next two years.
Community solar is gaining traction across the country
For those who want to support the shift to solar without installing solar panels on their home, support for solar utilities capable of providing thousands of subscribers with electricity is growing.
Solar energy uses land efficiently.
To conceptualize how much land is needed to generate solar electricity, a good rule of thumb is 6 to 8 acres required per megawatt. A megawatt of solar provides enough power for approximately 200 homes.
Economic Impacts of the U.S. Solar Industry, 20161
Sources: George Mason University Centrior Regional Analysis Foundation’s 2016 & 2018 National Solar Jobs Census, IMPLAN
Generate revenue from underutilized land to benefit your tribe and the world.
Vast expanses of the land cared for by Native American tribes are underutilized due to their aridity or poor soil quality ruling out the possibilities of agriculture. While the spiritual significance of such land remains steadfast, finding a way to derive sustenance and a means of living from it can be challenging.
Serendipitously, lands that are unsuitable for crops and other commercial uses are often in highly favorable zones for solar energy production.
Land in the southwest that is currently economically unproductive can be transformed into an income-generating asset. If your tribe holds land that is presently unused, solar energy represents a powerful and environmentally friendly way to both honor land and develop its economic potential to the benefit of your tribe.
Mean annual sunshine in the U.S.
Solar Energy for a Sustainable World
The sun has been long revered by all Native American tribes as a provider or warmth, light, and nourishment.
Native American peoples also honor the sacredness of land as a provider of sustenance and belonging, the resting site of ancestors and source of spiritual connection to nature.
As global awareness concerning finite resources and responsible energy use increases, so too increases the demand for renewable energy sources.
SUN captures the energy of the sun with state of the art photovoltaic modules carefully placed on the land, generating clean, abundant energy that can be stored and sold.
The production of solar energy leaves no carbon footprint, no toxins, no poisons, and the solar supply is inexhaustible. Energy is plentiful and available as long as the sun shines and can be stored for use when it doesn’t.
As we move toward a sustainable future where humanity lives lightly and consciously, solar energy lights the way.
