Microgrids, Panels and Geothermal Heat Pumps: The High-Tech Renewable Energy Powering Tribal Communities

To combat the lack of energy infrastructure available to tribal lands, the Energy Department is stepping up with the Tribal Energy Grant Program.

"Nobody notices energy until it's gone, really," said Nathan Nash of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "We've been out for weeks at a time, days at a time and our diversification is a need -- more than just a want."

The program provides funding and resources for native communities across the country with dire energy problems. The solutions are often high tech from solar arrays to low-carbon microgrids.

To learn more, watch the video below from the Energy Department: 

(Image via VioNet/Shutterstock.com)