Rare video footage has emerged from North Korea that reveals the growing dependence of its citizens on solar energy to power their homes amid frequent electricity blackouts.

At just over a minute long, the video, filmed in March by the Unification Media Group, and published on the Daily NK website, takes the viewer past cyclists on the quiet, residential streets of Chongjin, North Korea’s third largest city in northern Hamgyong Province.

The short film shows several low-level houses displaying solar panels at the top of long poles on the roof. Subtitles explain that the height of the pole is used to deter theft of the prized equipment.