Winnebago Women Build Their Tribe's Solar Array and a Path Into the Trades

On the Winnebago Reservation in northeast Nebraska, four Winnebago women just helped install their tribe's new solar array, and picked up construction skills along the way ^[1].

The 32.13-kilowatt system has 54 panels and sits on the tribe's fire and EMS facility. Training was run by Tribal Energy Alternatives ^[1].

The project was paid for with a $170,720 grant from the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund, with support from Google. It is projected to save about $4,900 a year and roughly $167,800 over 25 years ^[1].

Organizer Marie Kills Warrior said the work "has definitely planted the seed" for the trainees to pursue solar as a career ^[1].

This is the kind of story that does not make the evening news often enough: a tribe cutting its own power bills, and young women walking away with a trade they can build a living on.