Category: partners

“Speaking of Solar”: Energy Access Video for the Navajo Nation

We’re very pleased to announce the release of a video produced by MSL’s Energy Sovereignty Institute, in collaboration with Rochester Institute of Technology, Navajo Technical University, and the Navajo Tribal Utilities Authority with support from Sandia National Laboratories. The video translates fundamental concepts of solar home systems into the Navajo language. (more…)



Energy Sovereignty Workshop a Great Success

On March 12th and 13th, 2024 MSL and its partners at Navajo Technical University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Seattle University convened key stakeholders for an inaugural Energy Sovereignty Research Workshop.  Funded by the National Science Foundation (with additional support from the New America Foundation and Remy’s Good Day Fund), 32 participants representing academia, Tribal governments and agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and energy sector organizations gathered at the Hyatt Tamaya at Santa Ana Pueblo for the event, designed to create a research agenda aimed at supporting clean energy transitions in Tribal Nations.

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MSL teams for Energy Sovereignty Research

The National Science Foundation has awarded funding to MSL, Navajo Technical University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Seattle University for an energy sovereignty research workshop. This project will convene a diverse group of stakeholders from academia, Tribal governments and agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and energy sector organizations for a two-day event, designed to create a research agenda aimed at supporting clean energy transitions in Tribal Nations, and education and workforce training needs to achieve ambitious Tribal aspirations. MSL Member Sandia National Laboratories’ Indian Energy program is also serving on the organizing committee. (more…)



DOE Funds Kit Carson Electric, MSL for 3 Microgrids

MSL’s Resilient El Rito Project, Two Other Sites Funded for Construction by DOE

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC, an MSL consortium Member) to receive $23 million ($15.4 million in Federal funding and $7.7 million in Recipient cost share) to enhance the U.S. power grid’s ability to deliver affordable, clean energy to American communities across northern New Mexico. The funds will advance the Building a Modern, Intelligent Distributed BESS for Resiliency in Northern New Mexico project to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather and wildfires, and strengthen grid reliability. (more…)



MSL Teams for Midtown Arts & Design Alliance Project

MSL will lead the energy systems design process for the redevelopment of the Midtown Arts and Design Alliance (MADA) complex at Midtown Campus in Santa Fe, a project led by the Santa Fe Art Institute with the Alliance members and development team. The complex is comprised of several Visual Arts Center buildings designed by the esteemed Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, including the SFAI building, and two adjacent World War II studio barracks, totaling approximately 54,000 square feet.

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MSL Leads Advanced Grid Tech Seminar with NMSU

On May 19, 2023 MSL organized and led a seminar on advanced grid modernization technologies as part of a grant awarded to New Mexico State University by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. MSL and The National Renewable Energy Laboratory are collaborators on the grant. Seminar presenters included the NMSU research team; researchers from Los Alamos, Sandia, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratories; and Camus Energy (all MSL consortium Members).

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MSL, RIT, Navajo Tech Win Energy Sovereignty Grant

MSL, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Navajo Technical University have been awarded a grant from the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) program to further the partners’ work with Native American communities in the tribal energy sovereignty area. PIT-UN’s mission is to help advance the field of public interest technology to bring positive impact to communities around the globe. MSL’s Energy Sovereignty Institute (ESI) initiative will also participate. (more…)



MSL, NMSU, NREL Awarded DOE Research Grant

Update October 6, 2022: MSL, New Mexico State University, and The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (an MSL Member) have been awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program, for Building EPSCoR-State/DOE-National Laboratory Partnerships. The team’s proposal, “Building a federated learning framework for trustworthy and resilient energy internet of things (eIoT) infrastructure,” focuses on Federated Machine Learning (FML), and the research funded will approach several FML-related aspects of smart grid data architectures and applications. (more…)



UPDATE: MSL, RIT TEAM FOR GLOBAL ENERGY ACCESS WORKSHOP IN RWANDA

Update 8/27/22:  MSL’s Global Energy Access Innovation Workshop in Rwanda with the Rochester Institute of Technology was an unqualified success. Hosted as part of the IEEE PowerAfrica Conference, 25 thought and practice leaders from Asia, Africa, Alaska, Native America, and the Caribbean Islands convened for a two-day immersive innovation process designed and facilitated by MSL. The excitement was contagious, the feedback was exceptional, and the group unanimously committed to continued collaboration, on which we have begun work. (more…)



Update: Resilient El Rito project awarded engineering funds

Update 2/17/23: The Resilient El Rito community resilience microgrid demonstration project with Northern New Mexico College has awarded the engineering stage contract to Kit Carson Electric Coop. Work will begin presently, and we hope to move on to construction soon.

Update 8/25/22: The the NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Dept. (EMNRD) has recommended the Resilient El Rito project for engineering stage funding through its Grid Modernization program.  We expect this work could commence at the start of the new year, with Northern NM College as the primary recipient. In addition, EMNRD advises that they expect there will be federal funds available for the construction stage when we complete engineering, for which Kit Carson Electric Coop can compete. (more…)