JUNEAU (AP) — Isolated in the rainforest of Southeast Alaska, residents in Kake are thinking of alternative energy. In that, they're not unlike the inhabitants of any other rural Alaska community. What makes Kake special is the way it's approaching the topic.

After exploring wind energy options in partnership with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council in 2010, the Organized Village of Kake and five other Alaska Native communities received a U.S. Department of Energy grant for a different approach: solar power.

Kake installed 24 solar panels on its tribal government building in 2012....