Native America
Winnebago Women Build Their Tribe's Solar Array and a Path Into the Trades
Four Winnebago women trained on a 54-panel system at the tribe's fire and EMS station that is expected to save about $4,900 a year.
By JOE REDHAWKStaff Correspondent · NEBRASKA · Nov 7, 12:00 PM · 1 min. read
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.
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.
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.
Organizer Marie Kills Warrior said the work "has definitely planted the seed" for the trainees to pursue solar as a career.
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.
Sources
- Tribal Business News: Winnebago solar project gives Native women a path into construction jobs (link)
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