Winnebago tribe (Nebraska) becomes solar power leader in Midwest

WINNEBAGO, Neb. (AP) — The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska can already boast of having 400 kilowatts of installed solar panels, more than nearly any other Midwestern American Indian tribe.

And it doesn’t plan to stop there.

The American Indian tribe expects to learn later this summer whether it will receive a federal grant to pay half the cost of an additional 300 kilowatts.

Tribal leaders in this community of about 850 people in northeastern Nebraska say the solar push, which started a decade ago, advances commitments to environmental protection and self-sufficiency, and is reducing electric bills...

...The vast majority has gone to tribes in the Western U.S., but the largest beneficiary in the Midwest has been the Forest County Potawatomi in Wisconsin, which has installed 1.61 megawatts of solar generation. The Winnebagos received $425,000 from the grants, which they matched with money from tribal sources...