The heat is on: Indigenous-led nonprofit seeks to lower heating expenses with solar thermal

A visitor will find 8th Fire Solar just behind a grove of trees in a remote part of northwestern Minnesota. It’s a small manufacturing facility owned and operated by the local community development group named Akiing. 

Program coordinator Gwekaanimad Gasco is White Earth Ojibwe and a member of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa.  

“We’re in Osage, Minnesota, just on the boundary of the reservation,” Gasco said.

Leading a tour of the facility Gasco said solar thermal technology is simple. Unlike photovoltaic systems which convert sunlight into electricity, solar thermal uses the rays to warm liquid or air in the system, producing only heat.  

“We use air here, so our system recirculates the air and drops it into the house where they need it. Could be a bedroom, could be a bathroom, living room,” he said.  

A fan pushes air from inside the house through the solar thermal collector. From there it is heated and redistributed back into the home through a warm air outlet. A thermostat allows users to raise or lower the temperature. While effective, it’s not designed to be a home’s sole source of heat but more of a supplement to lower costs.  

Another caveat is that none of the excess energy can be banked.    

“You’re getting a very simple system that you can install yourself that’ll last you 20, 30 years. No moving parts. You know at most the fan might burn out. You might have a wiring problem,” Gasco said. “You call us up, we’re in Osage, right down the block. We’ll come help you out. There’s a 10-year warranty on the panel in the system if we install it.” 

‘Heat vs eat’

Most of the parts used by 8th Fire Solar are sourced in Minnesota. 

Gasco said producing solar thermal panels for impoverished communities is an important tool in the fight for energy sovereignty in tribal lands. He said money spent on energy can’t be spent on groceries.  

And when it is, consumers look to cheaper alternatives. 

“The heat-versus-eating dilemma is a dilemma that’s not just faced by tribal communities around here, but it’s nationwide,” he said. “We’re buying more processed stuff instead of going after the healthier stuff. So that’s directly related to the energy burden, poverty, tribal health. So, it’s all very connected.” 

Gasco said the idea behind solar thermal isn’t new. Pueblo nations in the southwest have been using it for centuries. Their adobe homes absorb the sun’s rays during the day and then keep them warm through the night.

According to Clean Energy Resource Teams one solar air heater can reduce a family’s monthly heating cost by 30 percent.  

“This balance with our environment is something that has been in our blood, in our DNA, you know. So, it only makes sense that we would be the ones to help light the way,” Gasco said. “And I hate to say that because there’s a lot of people of color, there’s a lot of great work being done by a lot of allies, a lot of friends. And it’s never just going to be us at this point. They call it the melting pot for a reason.” 

The company says solar thermal can reduce a household’s carbon emissions by 20 to 40 percent. 

Gasco said 8th Fire Solar get its name from the ancient Anishinaabe, Seven Fires Prophecy. It says we’re currently living in the time of the seventh fire. The prophecy says the next generation, or eighth fire, will come to a fork in the road. One path will be scorched and worn. The other will be green and untrodden.  

“8th Fire is lighting that eighth fire. It’s making that decision to go down that green path,” he said. “That path that we haven’t taken before.” 

Nicholas Bellrock is a shop worker at 8th Fire Solar. He said he’s gained skills he can use in other parts of his life. 

“I like that we have the ability to learn new things every day,” he said. “I’ve learned how to drive a tractor since I got here, and just how to do inventory, things like keep count and wash glass. And how to build a panel.”

Untapped potential 

Renewable energy expert Robert Blake founded the Solar Bear company. He said for now solar thermal’s potential impact on the environment is untapped.  

“The quickest way for us to fight climate change is to focus on low-income folks, because they’re the ones that are going to suffer the most,” he said. “But that also presents a really good opportunity for us to be able to create jobs opportunities and then fight climate change a lot quicker and faster, because we’re not going to do it with rich people. They already have the resources to fight it.” 

8th Fire Solar installed the first solar thermal unit on the Lake Vermilion Reservation for homeowner Tracey Strong Dagen in 2021. 

She said the transition has lowered her dependence on propane fuel. 

“It’s a very, good supplement during the day. That’s when they mainly heat, so you don’t use propane at all during the day,” she said. “It keeps it pretty steady upstairs. We lost electricity one time too, and my brother’s house got down to 55 [degrees] where mine only got down to 68.”   

8th Fire Solar is currently working toward installing solar thermal for 25 elder households on the White Earth Nation.  

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