“The land is the chief, and we are the servants,” says Lori Buchanan, vice president of Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative. Hawaiian Electric would purchase the solar power from Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative and provide renewable energy to cooperative members at a discounted rate. While wind is considered a renewable energy source, it alone cannot supply a community’s energy portfolio. Through funding by the Department of Energy, Picuris built a 1-megawatt solar power system with about 4,000 solar panels. “We define [energy sovereignty] as you’re free to decide which type of fuel source you want to use,” says Luis Reyes, CEO of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative.