Native American solar workers. Credit: Lakota Solar Enterprises

Dozens of new solar and wind projects are sprouting up on tribal lands across the U.S. as Native Americans seek new ways to boost their economies beyond casinos and untaxed cigarettes.

In the fall, Wirsol Solar AG expects to start building a 110-megawatt solar project on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. And last month, the Moapa River Indian Reservation in Nevada was announced as the site for two solar arrays expected to produce 500 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 180,000 homes. They already have a prominent customer: NV Energy Inc., the utility owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

The efforts are the latest in a burgeoning trend. In 2018, the U.S. handed out $6.5 million in grants to 11 tribal communities seeking to develop solar or wind power in eight states. It might be considered a return to nature. That’s certainly the view of Henry Red […]