In an effort to combat long-standing energy inequities, Navajo Nation organizations are employing solar energy to bring power to off-grid homes for the first time.
Organizations like Navajo Power aim to address energy injustice in the Navajo Nation by powering homes with solar energy.
A development ban law known as the "Bennett Freeze" hindered development in Navajo and Hopi nations from 1966 to 2009, leaving many without power for decades.
Partnerships with groups like Native Renewables harness the cultural importance of solar energy, connecting Navajo homes to the grid and creating jobs.
Key quote:
" The Navajo Nation served as the battery for the West for decades (...) We're solving issues using our own resources; it's derived by people from here, built by people from here, and for people that are living here."
— Brett Issac, founder and executive chairman of Navajo Power.
Why this matters:
This initiative aims to provide energy independence for the Navajo nation, where currently more than 15,000 homes don't have power.
For almost a half-century, the giant coal plant here was the economic heartbeat of the Navajo Nation. Now it looms silently over the desert after its great boilers were extinguished for the last time in November.
