Ten families on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota didn't expect much from a rooftop solar project. All they wanted was cheaper power bills. But the panels did more than that, according to a project report from the Office of Indian Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. In the first full year of use, the tribe’s housing authority saved $8,122 on electricity. That might not be a huge number in the sphere of national energy policy, but on a reservation where every dollar counts, the savings matter. This small-scale story shows how clean energy can quietly change lives for communities that have paid too much for power for too long.
A small project with big numbers
