Native Americans are building their own solar farms

For many years, Native Americans were dependent on the US government for their power supply. However, this dependency may be shifting. Cody Two Bears, a member of the Sioux tribe in North Dakota, made the decision to construct a solar farm after witnessing a fellow protester being forcibly arrested during the Standing Rock protests in 2016. These protests were aimed at preventing the Dakota Access Pipeline from being constructed on sacred tribal land. Despite their efforts, the pipeline was eventually built. However, a lawsuit filed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was successful, necessitating a comprehensive environmental review of the pipeline.

Cody Two Bears gained insight into the detrimental impacts of fossil fuels on communities like his, which often lack a voice. He observed that large infrastructural projects frequently occur in communities of low socioeconomic status. After retiring from politics in 2017, he established Indigenized Energy, a native-led energy company that installs solar farms for tribal nations at no cost. Many tribes have found it difficult to tap into the billions in renewable energy incentives offered by the government, and some have struggled to access electricity at all.

Reservations are among the poorest communities in the country, with one in three Native Americans living in poverty. Many tribes lack access to basic power. On the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the States, 30% of homes lack electricity, despite the land having been mined for coal and uranium for decades. The average cost of connecting a home on the Navajo reservation to the electric grid is $40,000. Introducing renewable energy to tribal land is a significant challenge, particularly in states like North Dakota, the country's third-largest oil-producing state. However, Cody Two Bears is confident that if they can launch a solar farm there, they can do it anywhere.