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KILI Radio Installs 20KW Solar Array




 

 

PORCUPINE BUTTE – Several years ago, KILI Radio made a commitment to renewable energy by working with Lakota Solar to install a 2KW solar array on their station’s south facing roof, over the past three years, the station added a 3KW array to the roof and a 10 KW wind turbine; now the station has installed a 20KW solar array.

“We wanted to deal with our highest monthly expense, an electricity bill that could be as high as $2,500 a month,” said Bill Means, KILI Radio Board Chair, “and we wanted to be a role model for the community, to go green as much as possible.”

The station couldn’t have done any of this by itself, added Means, we had help from Henry Red Cloud and Lakota Solar, Richard Fox and Trees, Water and People, grants from the Department of Interior and USDA’s Rural Development, Thunder Valley CDC, Sunset Solutions, In Our Hands from Aspen, Colorado, Johnny Weiss Solar and Remote Energy.

Students from all over Indian Country helped with each of the solar array projects, each of the solar array installations were conducted as a seminar in renewable energy from solar with representatives from several tribal nations helping out and who in turn received valuable hands on experience in the installation of solar arrays.Tribal Nations represented included White Earth in Minnesota, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock, the Northern Cheyenne out of Montana, Shoshone Bannock out of Ft. Hall, Idaho, Navajo Nation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

 

 

“This was a great opportunity to build an awareness about solar energy, no better place than at the Voice of the Lakota Nation, KILI Radio,” said Henry Red Cloud of Lakota Solar, “My hope and my dream is that the tribe’s follow KILI Radio’s example in working towards energy independence; it would be an awesome way to exercise sovereignty and create economic opportunities for tribes.”

“With the installation of the 2KW and 3KW arrays and the wind turbine, we had cut our light bill in half,” said Arlo Iron Cloud, KILI Radio’s website and social media director, “with the new 20KW solar array, our renewal energy projects should just about cover our monthly electric bill.”

 

 

Last fall, Panasonic donated 80 solar panels, a value of $45,000, it took the station close to a year to put together the additional resources to complete the installation. The first phase took place at the end of July and the second phase was completed the week of Sept. 24, the solar array was turned on and hooked into the system on Sept. 29.

 

 

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