Driving by solar fields on your way to the store or to school has become the new normal on Cowessess First Nation.

Chief Cadmus Delorme says he hopes the solar fields will inspire the Saskatchewan community’s children and youth. 

“It’s going to have ripple effects into our education,” Delorme said. “Now that our kids get to see this, we’re now looking to prepare them for science and engineering. This is our contribution to getting them excited about what they’re going to do in university.”

The solar arrays are part of the Community Building Solar Project, which has been years in the making and was mostly funded by the federal government. It’s also a step toward the Cowessess’s goal of becoming the greenest First Nation in Canada. 

More than 800 panels were installed on five community buildings: the school, seniors centre, mall, water treatment plant and band office.