Pine Ridge man getting White House honor for solar energy projects

The man behind a renewable energy company on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota will be one of ten White House honorees this week.

Ten people on Thursday will be honored at a White House Solar Summit for their efforts to expand the production and use of solar energy.

Henry Red Cloud is the owner and founder of Lakota Solar Enterprises. His company employs tribal members who manufacture and install solar heating systems for Native Americans.

Red Cloud also runs a renewable energy center that provides green job training. The White House says his sustainable energy projects offer Native Americans “a new way to honor the old ways.”

President Barak Obama has encouraged the development of solar power technology. Its production has grown more than ten-fold since 2008.