In a conversation with Quitting Carbon, Tanksi Clairmont talks about the launch of Tribal Energy Alternatives and the organization’s plans to bring solar energy to tribes across the U.S.

A knotted tangle of bureaucracy, infrastructure, and tax impediments have held back tribes’ ability to harness the bountiful renewable energy potential on their lands.

Among the non-governmental organizations that have worked to empower tribes to build their own clean energy projects is the Oakland, California-based non-profit GRID Alternatives. GRID’s National Tribal Program dates to 2010, with the installation of its first tribal project in California.

Earlier this month, GRID announced it had spun off its tribal program as an independent entity called Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA). The new organization is GRID’s first Native-led affiliate.

I recently spoke with Tanksi Clairmont, TEA’s co-executive director, about the launch of the new organization and its plans for the coming months.