Seneca Solar Is Now
Seneca Environmental
Since we began operating over a year ago, Seneca Solar has been working to implement Earth-healing climate solutions that include but are not limited to solar energy projects.
Now, we are changing our name to Seneca Environmental, to better reflect the breadth and scope of our work. A key part of that work is creating long-term investments for the Seneca Nation, core to the Seneca Holdings mission of investing in the Seventh Generation. Renewable energy projects are exceptional long-term investments that provide solid returns while helping to heal the Earth.
Seneca Environmental is a division of Seneca Holdings, the economic diversification entity of the Seneca Nation. Seneca Holdings provides $350 million in goods and services through its portfolio of companies.
The Seneca Nation has a strong reputation as a leader in renewable energy. The Seneca Nation’s utility company, Seneca Energy, has successfully deployed a 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine and a 2 MW solar array on Seneca territory, significantly lowering community members’ electricity bills and building toward energy independence.
With the goal of supporting energy independence and economic development for Native communities across the U.S. and around the world, Seneca Environmental has been managing the development of over 55 MW of distributed generation projects across multiple states serving municipalities, low- and middle-income (LMI) communities, and commercial offtakers. We have been pursuing over 50 MW in renewable project development opportunities with Native communities in New Mexico and the Mid-Atlantic region. We’ve also conducted an extensive feasibility assessment for a 10 MW solar project in Papua New Guinea to be built by local Indigenous communities.
As we support Native communities in gaining energy sovereignty and corporations in achieving their climate and minority supplier goals, it’s become increasingly clear to us that we can help with much more than just standard solar projects. We approach renewable energy projects with a unique, holistic perspective that includes going beyond what’s standard to achieve Earth-healing benefits — we call these “+1s.”
For the Native communities we work with, that means developing and delivering renewable energy projects that meet their needs. We support economic development in Native communities by working to maximize positive community impacts, provide custom workforce development opportunities, and potentially even support the development of a Tribal Utility.
For corporations, we add +1s to meet a company’s social impact goals and help address Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions with innovative solutions. This can include biodiversity and ecosystem enhancement, local economic development, community engagement, zero-waste and supply chain solutions, and measuring economic and ESG impacts with radical transparency.
As we expand our work to include more holistic solar projects, as well as renewable energy projects beyond solar, it makes sense to expand the scope of our name. We hope you will join Seneca Environmental to help move forward our Earth-healing work. Together, we can move at the speed and scale that’s needed to address climate change — and ensure a healthy world for current and future generations.