When the grid goes dark for days, their lights stay on: solar power arrives at Mesa Grande

For the Mesa Grande Band of Diegueño Mission Indians in San Diego County, California, a power cut is not a brief flicker — outages can last for days, and every hour without electricity disrupts the government, housing help, food distribution and emergency response that run from the tribe's administration buildings. Now those buildings can keep going on their own. Working with the nonprofit Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), the tribe has completed its first public clean energy installation: solar panels and batteries at three administration buildings — Tekamuk, Hallyeyaaw and Golden Eagle. Together the systems should generate about 60 MWh of electricity a year, enough for the buildings' current needs with room to grow, and save the tribe at least $16,780 a year. Four tribal members trained in solar installation helped build the project, which lands as the tribe plans 1,500 new homes — the first new housing on the reservation since 2005.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: infrastructure build