Distributions of Power: Renewable Energy Development in the Navajo Nation

Abstract

Between Las Vegas and Albuquerque in the Navajo Nation, more than 18,000 homes lack electricity or running water. Decades of rural electrification and development efforts have failed to extend infrastructure services to 30% of the Navajo population, many of whom live in remote off-­‐grid communities. This same region is also one of America’s largest producers of coal, natural gas, oil, and uranium. In order to understand why energy inequality resolutely resists improvement in many parts of the world, I explore the relationships and institutional structures involved in the dissemination and development of renewable energy technology in the Navajo Nation.