RAPID CITY, S.D. – Red Cloud Renewable, an Indigenous-led non-profit training center operating on the nearby Pine Ridge Reservation, has been named a national recipient in the 2026 Electric Innovation Awards.

Selected under the Power For All category by the Electric Innovation Initiative, Red Cloud Renewable operates the nation’s only Indigenous-led renewable energy training campus. The program provides hands-on instruction in solar installation, heat pump technology, and weatherization, with trainees directly deploying clean energy systems in tribal communities.

More than 1,100 Native students representing 70 tribes across the country have completed training at the campus. However, traveling to the region near Rapid City can present logistical challenges for out-of-state participants.

“You want me to come to where? South Dakota. And then how do you get there?” said John Red Cloud, describing common reactions from prospective trainees. “There are no direct flights to Rapid City. Sometimes you have to get on a flight in Chicago or Minneapolis or Denver or Dallas.”

Beyond getting trainees to the classroom, Red Cloud explained that securing permanent employment within the clean energy sector remains a crucial priority.

“I find that what’s missing are some of the pipeline network partnerships like some of these trade schools,” Red Cloud said. “As soon as they’re done, there are employers ready to pick them up. We have the training, which is great. We have the inspiration. We have the story, but what we’re really trying to do is impact that high unemployment rate that native people have.”

The national recognition highlights the organization’s broader mission to foster local renewable energy self-reliance across tribal nations.

“Electrification is about more than bringing new technology into a community,” Red Cloud said. “Success means making sure people have the skills and knowledge to understand, build, install and maintain that technology themselves. Recognition like this helps show what can happen when communities have the tools to build their own energy future. We go from energy burden to energy sovereignty.”

Red Cloud defines energy sovereignty as a tribe leveraging natural resources – such as solar, wind, or geothermal power – to achieve energy independence through local microgrids or tribally owned utilities. Pine Ridge spans 2.3 million acres and is home to roughly 50,000 tribal members.

As a direct descendant of Chief Red Cloud, John Red Cloud draws daily leadership inspiration from visiting his ancestor’s resting place at the Red Cloud Indian School cemetery. Chief Red Cloud originally invited Jesuit educators to Pine Ridge so Lakota children could learn to read federal documents, establishing a tradition of walking in two worlds to protect the tribe’s future.

John Red Cloud reflected on a recent visit to his Chief Red Cloud’s resting place “Sometimes I go there… and I just sit on the bench there sometimes. I wonder,  am I doing the right thing? Am I making the right decisions? I don’t expect any answers, but I just sometimes ask the question and I think about whenever he was trying so hard to bridge the oncoming change that he saw.”

Looking ahead, Red Cloud Renewable plans to expand its reach by establishing a West Coast pilot program with the Warm Springs Tribe of Oregon in spring 2027. “I’m trying to maintain that fabric of the values of the tribe. The language must stay alive. The vibrancy of the culture, the ritual, the ceremony.”

To support its ongoing educational programs, the 501(c)(3) non-profit is also rolling out a stock gifting program allowing donors to contribute required monthly distributions.

“We have to walk these two worlds at all times and work with people who mean well. And then for us, it’s like, also make sure that we’re remaining true to what the ancestors fought for. Lots of sacrifices were made… but now there’s a real opportunity for both sides off reservation on to come together and write a better chapter”