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The U.S. Department of Energy is partnering with private solar companies to bring electricity to hundreds of the most remote homes on the Navajo reservation. Here's KNAU's Ryan Heinsius.
RYAN HEINSIUS, BYLINE: Nolan and Sarah Huskon just had two new solar panels installed outside their home in the high desert north of Flagstaff. Despite living only a few miles from power lines, it's their first time with electricity here.
NOLAN HUSKON: Everything's just right there at your fingertips. Like, just walk into the house and switch a light, and your light's on. You don't have to go and start pumping on the (laughter) lantern.
HEINSIUS: The Huskons herd sheep and live in a traditional one-room, eight-sided structure called a hogan. Until June, they depended on a generator, which was expensive, noisy and dirty.
SARAH HUSKON: We run out of gas, so we have to fumble around in the dark, looking for flashlights, looking for the kitchen matches. And really, it does help.
HEINSIUS: A new refrigerator will save hundreds of dollars on daily runs into town to buy ice. Now, a ceiling fan spins overhead, and they plan to hook up a TV.
HUSKON: Every year, we watch "Survivor" (laughter).
HEINSIUS: An estimated 15,000 households on the Navajo Nation lack electricity. The Department of Energy's Jigar Shah says it awarded $5 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to a company called Navajo Power Home to change that.
JIGAR SHAH: A lot of what we're doing with the $5 million is to bring the capacity into the Navajo Nation, so that they can do this for themselves.
HEINSIUS: Solar technology manufacturer Qcells donated 1,000 solar panels. Navajo Power Home plans to electrify 1,000 homes by the end of the year. Shah says solar can be a game changer in remote Indigenous communities.
HUSKON: As we figure out what to transition to, solar power with battery storage is becoming the go-to solution in the state of Arizona.
HEINSIUS: Clean energy tax credits and home rebates are expected to further incentivize closing the electricity gap on U.S. tribal lands.
For NPR News, I'm Ryan Heinsius in Flagstaff. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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