We are proud to strengthen our partnership with the University of Idaho by facilitating the donation of solar panels that will power their remote Rinker Rock Creek Ranch research and education facility.
The university has been working on major upgrades to the facility over the past year to enhance the important research conducted there. One major gap in the facility's capabilities was leveraging powered equipment for the work. The historic barn that anchors the facility was built around 100 years ago and did not connect to a power system. UI reached out to Clēnera to see if we could help provide a solution.
A Clēnera team of project managers and engineers joined together to work on a solar powered solution. We facilitated a donation of panels from one of our supply partners, Waaree, and paid for shipping and logistics to get those panels from Texas to Idaho.
Clēnera is grounded on the value of stewarding our resources responsibly and sustainably. We care about more than just building solar projects. We care about the land those projects call home and the communities that surround them. Partnering with the University of Idaho’s Rinker Rock Creek Ranch is a natural fit for us.
Rinker Rock Creek Ranch is located in Idaho’s Wood River Valley and spans more than 20,000 acres of meadows, rangelands, and surrounding public lands. It is a working cattle ranch, but it is also much more. The ranch is a living laboratory where researchers study rangelands, wildlife, and watersheds. It is a place where conservation, education, and land management come together in ways that benefit Idaho and beyond.
Because rangelands are estimated to make up 1/3 of the United States, the research happening at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch has national importance. These landscapes support wildlife, store carbon, protect watersheds, and provide space for both grazing and recreation. When we learn how to better protect rangelands, we are not just protecting open space. We are protecting the foundation of communities and ecosystems across the country.
At Clēnera, this matters to us because rangelands shape the way we design our projects. We believe that renewable energy and land stewardship can go hand in hand. By understanding how landscapes function and how people rely on them, we can build solar projects that respect the environment and give back to the communities where we live and work.
For Clēnera, this donation is not only about providing panels. It is about making sure the clean energy we build reflects the values we hold: respect for the land, investment in communities, and a commitment to energy independence. Rinker Rock Creek Ranch represents many of the same goals. It balances ranching with conservation, research with community outreach, and local needs with long-term sustainability.
Supporting a place like this reminds us why renewable energy matters. It is not only about generating power. It is about creating healthier landscapes, stronger communities, and a more independent energy future.