Thirteen Indian tribes and tribal entities will receive DOE funding to reduce energy costs and increase energy security and resiliency.
Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs
July 13, 2021
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13 Indian Tribes and Tribal Entities Will Receive DOE Funding to Reduce Energy Costs and Increase Energy Security and Resiliency
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today $12 million in funding to 13 American Indian and Alaska Native communities across the nation for projects that will reduce energy costs and increase energy security and resiliency. The selected projects will power their homes and communities, make their buildings more energy efficient, and install microgrids for essential services and resiliency – critical elements to reaching the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The projects competitively selected for negotiation of award are as follows:
| # | Selectee & Location* | Project Description | Total Award Value** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akiachak Native Community, Akiachak, AK | The Akiachak Native Community will install energy efficiency measures on five essential multi-use buildings in the Village. Energy-efficient retrofits include more efficient furnaces in the laundry building, as well as an LED lighting upgrade and installation of setback thermostats in all five buildings. The project is estimated to reduce energy consumption and save the Village approximately $17,369 annually, plus reduce maintenance costs by an additional $2,085 each year. | $139,263 (Requested DOE Funds: $123,220; Proposed Cost Share $16,043) |
| 2 | Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, Geyserville, CA | The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians will install 150.2 kilowatts (kW) of solar photovoltaics (PV) on 25 homes and a community building, as well as train 4–6 tribal members to install and maintain these PV systems. The systems will provide 80%–95% of each home's electricity and save the Band $187,050 and collectively the tenants $1,245,400 over the lifetime of the systems. | $618,872 (Requested DOE Funds: $556,984; Proposed Cost Share $61,888) |
| 3 | Kipnuk Light Plant, Kipnuk, AK | The Kipnuk Light Plant, a tribally owned utility of the Native Village of Kipnuk, will purchase, install, and integrate a 500-kW/677-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery energy storage system into its standalone community wind diesel grid. The system will eliminate 5,500 hours of diesel generator use annually, which will displace over 34,000 gallons of diesel fuel, provide up to 3 hours of non-fuel emergency power to four critical tribal facilities, and save the Village an estimated $184,000 annually. | $951,087 (Requested DOE Funds: $855,978; Proposed Cost Share $95,109) |
| 4 | Metlakatla Indian Community, Metlakatla, AK | The Metlakatla Indian Community of Annette Island Reserve in Alaska will complete the electrical intertie between its islanded community and the mainland community of Ketchikan, Alaska. Completion of the last 2.1 miles of the 16.1-mile, 34.5-kilovolt (kV) transmission line will reduce generation costs by significantly decreasing or eliminating the use of diesel generators and ensuring efficient, reliable power for the community. The project is estimated to save $516,970 per year and nearly $26 million over the 50-year life of the systems. | $2,065,500 (Requested DOE Funds: $1,031,110; Proposed Cost Share $1,034,390) |
| 5 | Native Village of Diomede, Diomede, AK | The Native Village of Diomede will install energy efficiency measures in the new store in the Village, Alaska's most remote community situated on an island in the Bering Straits. Diomede faces extremely high costs, including electricity rates of $0.65 per kWh and an average heating oil cost of $5.00 per gallon. The measures will be installed during construction and are expected to reduce electrical consumption by 29% and heating oil consumption by 25%, producing annual savings of approximately $4,849. | $445,696 (Requested DOE Funds: $222,848; Proposed Cost Share $222,848) |
| 6 | Noatak Northwest Energy Tribal Energy Development Organization (TEDO), Kotzebue, AK | Noatak Northwest Energy TEDO, a collaboration between the Native Village of Noatak and the Northwest Arctic Borough, will deploy a high-penetration 275-kW solar PV and 250-kW/384-kWh battery energy storage hybrid system to integrate with the Village’s diesel electric grid. The system is estimated to generate 15% of the community's power each year, eliminate diesel generator use by 370 hours annually, and save the community more than $178,000 each year. Over the life of the system, an estimated 471,600 gallons of diesel fuel and over $2.8 million will be saved. | $2,307,265 (Requested DOE Funds: $1,997,265; Proposed Cost Share $310,000) |
| 7 | Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala, CA | The Pala Community Microgrids Project will install 1,073.2 kW of solar PV systems and 10 kW/26 kWh of battery storage to provide autonomous operations of multiple essential tribal facilities during emergency situations to support tribal community resilience. The project will displace 102% of the Band's electricity consumption at eight facilities, saving nearly $6.4 million in net energy costs and displacing 933,553 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the project’s 25-year lifetime. | $4,000,000 (Requested DOE Funds: $3,000,000; Proposed Cost Share $1,000,000) |
| 8 | Quinault Indian Nation, Taholah, WA | In support of the Taholah Village Relocation Master Plan to relocate the original Taholah Village out of the tsunami inundation zone to higher ground, the Quinault Indian Nation have prioritized resiliency measures for several critical facilities including a 99-kW solar PV system, battery storage, and a back-up diesel generator for lighting and refrigeration in their new 30,000 square foot community facility in the event of power outages or natural disaster. | $402,088 (Requested DOE Funds: $201,044; Proposed Cost Share $201,044) |
| 9 | San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, Valley Center, CA | The 223-kW Tribal co-tenant community-scale solar PV system to be located on two elevated carports will serve 80 household subscribers and one tribal government building. The system is estimated to generate over 406,000 kWh each year, saving each residential subscriber $512–$727 annually and $1,144,480 in electric bill credits over the life of the system. | $801,132 (Requested DOE Funds: $400,566; Proposed Cost Share $400,566) |
| 10 | Seminole Tribe of Florida, Hollywood, FL | The Seminole Tribe of Florida will install approximately 475 kW of solar PV and approximately 1,810 kWh of battery storage on its rural Reservation of Brighton to power four essential facilities, including the Brighton Health Clinic, Brighton Administration Building, Brighton Public Safety Building, and the Brighton Veterans Building. In addition to providing resilience, these solar microgrids are estimated to save the Tribe over $3.7 million over the life of the systems. | $2,878,125 (Requested DOE Funds: $2,158,593; Proposed Cost Share $719,532) |
| 11 | Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Towaoc, CO | Through its Towaoc Housing Solar Initiative, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe will install solar PV systems on 20 homes and a supportive housing facility in the community. These buildings currently use about 27,420 kWh and spend $43,853 per year on electricity. With the proposed 140-kW solar PV systems, the UMUT will save approximately 222,585 kWh and an estimated $24,484 per year, a savings of over 55%. | $534,972 (Requested DOE Funds: $427,977; Proposed Cost Share $106,995) |
| 12 | Village of Aniak, Aniak, AK | The Village of Aniak will install energy efficiency measures on four essential multi-use buildings. Energy-efficient retrofits include air sealing measures in the Community Center, installation of setback thermostats in the Tribal Office, and an LED lighting upgrade in all buildings. The project is estimated to reduce energy costs by $24,238 annually and save the Village an additional $1,380 in maintenance costs each year. | $186,656 (Requested DOE Funds: $167,948; Proposed Cost Share $18,708) |
| 13 | Village of Chefornak, Chefornak, AK | The Village of Chefornak, along with its community utility Naterkaq Light Plant, will purchase, install, and integrate a 500 kW/677 kWh battery storage system into its standalone community wind diesel grid. The system is estimated to eliminate over 4,000 hours of diesel generator use annually, displace approximately 59,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year, and save the Village more than $270,000 annually. | $949,960 (Requested DOE Funds: $854,964; Proposed Cost Share $94,996) |
* In alphabetic order
** Amounts shown are subject to negotiation. Adjusted for approved cost share reductions.