College - Author 1
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Department - Author 1
Construction Management Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Construction Management
Date
6-2026
Primary Advisor/Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Joe Cleary, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Construction Management Department
Abstract/Summary
Skip the Grid is an interdisciplinary service project targeted at providing essential off-grid power to families of the Navajo and surrounding sovereign nations. This year a group of twenty-three students and four faculty from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) helped plan and execute the insulation of solar power and other essential amenities on the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Many families that live on the reservation are below the U.S. poverty line and obtaining grid power can be extremely difficult given the rigorous permitting requirements as well as the remote location of many of their homes. This service project is made possible through the support of industry partners, including Heart of America, SOLV Energy, and NextPower who contributed with funding, coordination and execution of the project. Cal Poly students and faculty spend months preparing for the trip, procuring all the necessary equipment, planning installations, learning about the unique cultures and practicing an installation. On the 2026 Skip the Grid trip, we retrofitted fifty homes with two 200-watt solar panels, a Goal Zero 1500 watt-hour battery, a Goal Zero 53-liter refrigerator, and two Goal Zero lights, allowing families to perform many of the basic tasks often taken for granted.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cmsp/1008
Poster Board