As People of the Sun prepares to gather this September, partners invest in a lasting community project that will strengthen resilience, food systems, and opportunity for future generations.
STANDING ROCK, North Dakota, June 24, 2026 — Construction is officially underway on the Buffalo Sun Project at Wozu, an Indigenous-led initiative that brings together renewable energy, buffalo stewardship, and community regeneration on the Standing Rock Reservation. The project will install approximately 30 kW of solar generation and 40 kWh of battery storage at Wóžu’s primary buffalo operations facility and surrounding infrastructure. Once completed, the system will provide reliable backup power for refrigeration, lighting, equipment, and critical buffalo care operations while reducing reliance on traditional generators.
The project strengthens energy resilience, supports the growing buffalo program, enhances food sovereignty efforts, and demonstrates how clean energy can help restore the relationship between people, land, and culture. The Buffalo Sun Project represents Wozu’s vision of regeneration, where renewable energy powers a stronger future for the buffalo, the community, and generations to come.
The Buffalo Sun Project is a collaborative effort between Wóžu, Indigenized Energy, Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA), SolarEdge, and additional project partners committed to advancing Indigenous-led solutions that strengthen communities and support long-term sustainability. The project will be showcased as a success story at the upcoming People of the Sun event in September.
For Wóžu, the project represents an investment in the future of a program that has become a model for food sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and land stewardship on Standing Rock.
“Wóžu means ‘to grow,’ and this project helps ensure we can continue growing our impact for future generations,” said Dave Archambault II, Founder of Wóžu., “Alternative energy strengthens our ability to care for our buffalo, protect valuable food resources, support educational programming, and continue restoring our relationship with the land. This project is about creating the foundation that allows this work to continue expanding for years to come.”
The project received critical funding through Tribal Energy Alternatives’ Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund Facility – Residential Grant Program, which supports Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations pursuing renewable energy projects across Indian Country.
“This grant award to Wóžu is about more than powering a facility; it’s about powering a vision,” said Tanksi Clairmont, Co-Executive Director of Tribal Energy Alternatives. “The Buffalo Sun Project brings renewable energy into alignment with buffalo restoration, demonstrating how Indigenous leadership continues to guide solutions that restore land, culture, and community for future generations.”
Additional support for the project comes from SolarEdge, which donated critical equipment including inverter technology, battery systems, and specialty components that will help power the installation.
“What Wóžu has built at Standing Rock for food sovereignty, the buffalo, and the land will outlast any single event or initiative,” said Amir Cohen, General Manager of North America at SolarEdge. “Our hope is that the energy infrastructure we’re contributing does the same, quietly running in the background and making everything else possible for a long time to come.”
Indigenized Energy, which serves as a project partner and organizer of the upcoming People of the Sun gathering on Standing Rock, views the Buffalo Sun Project as an example of how collaboration can create lasting impact beyond a single event.
The project also serves as the official legacy giveback initiative associated with the inaugural People of the Sun gathering, taking place September 16 –18, 2026, on the Standing Rock Reservation. “Wóžu’s work reflects so many of the same values that drive our mission, sovereignty, stewardship, self-determination, and creating opportunities for future generations,” said Cody Two Bears, Founder and CEO of Indigenized Energy. “As we prepare to welcome people from around the world to the People of the Sun event, it was important that the gathering leave behind something meaningful for the community. The Buffalo Sun Project is more than a solar installation; it’s a lasting investment in Standing Rock’s future and a reflection of what can happen when partnerships come together to support Indigenous-led solutions that will benefit generations to come.”
Once completed, the solar and battery storage system will provide reliable power during outages and extreme weather events, help protect harvested buffalo meat from spoilage, create quieter and safer operations, and strengthen Wóžu’s ability to provide healthy food, educational opportunities, and cultural programming for the community.
Now that the first phase of this project is completed, our teams are working together to fund the remaining phases of the project and additional upgrades to the Wóžu facility.
About Wóžu
Wozu is a Native-led nonprofit organization founded in 2021 and based in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Our mission is to foster cultural and land regeneration through our core program areas: Food Sovereignty, Outdoor Stewardship, Culture, Arts & Wellness, and Buffalo. We believe that by restoring buffalo to the land they strengthen ecosystems, our cultural traditions, and supporting our communities. Through community centered programming, cultural engagement, and land stewardship, Wozu works to reconnect people to their heritage, regenerate the land, and build a thriving future for generations to come.
About Indigenized Energy
Founded in 2017, Indigenized Energy empowers Native communities to achieve energy sovereignty through trusted partnerships, innovative programs, and resilient renewable energy initiatives. We work directly with Tribal Nations to build capacity, fund projects, and train the next generation, turning clean energy into a source of strength, sustainability, and self-determination.
About Tribal Energy Alternatives
Tribal Energy Alternatives is the first Tribal-led affiliate of GRID Alternatives. We partner with Tribal Nations to build energy sovereignty through grantmaking, workforce training, construction, and policy work. Rooted in Indigenous values and led by Native professionals, we are creating opportunities for communities to lead the clean energy revolution on their terms.
About SolarEdge
SolarEdge is a global leader in smart energy. By leveraging world-class engineering capabilities and with a relentless focus on innovation, SolarEdge creates smart energy solutions that power our lives and drive future progress. SolarEdge developed an intelligent inverter solution that changed the way power is harvested and managed in photovoltaic (PV) systems. The SolarEdge DC optimized inverter seeks to maximize power generation while lowering the cost of energy produced by the PV system. Continuing to advance smart energy, SolarEdge addresses a broad range of energy market segments through its PV, storage, EV charging, batteries, and grid services solutions. SolarEdge is online at solaredge.com.