Tribal Communities to Benefit from $44 MM in US DOE Clean Energy Funding

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has earmarked a total of $44 million to aid Tribal communities ensure energy security and resilience while helping them lower energy costs.

In a media release, the DOE said six American Indian and Alaska Native communities in five states will receive $18.8 million to install solar and wind energy infrastructure that will provide 5.6 megawatts (MW) of clean energy generation and battery storage for over 100 Tribal buildings.

An additional $25 million will be made available through a new funding opportunity announcement for Tribal communities to plan, assess, and develop clean energy projects.

The six cost-shared energy projects are expected to save the communities nearly $54 million over the life of those systems, according to the DOE.

The projects selected to go further into the negotiation phase include the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs, California, which aims to install a cumulative of 551 kilowatts (kW) of solar photovoltaics (PV) and a 1,311-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) on five essential buildings.

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative Inc. is looking to refurbish two 200 kW wind turbines and install a BESS with a power capacity of 320 kW and storage capacity of 540 kWh in Mekoryuk, Alaska. Barona Group of the Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians in Lakeside, California, plans to install 2,300 kW of ground-mounted solar PV systems to serve four vital facilities. Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Prior Lake, Minnesota, plans to deploy five solar PV systems, totaling approximately 596 kW, on the rooftops of existing buildings in Prior Lake. United Tribes Technical College, Bismark, North Dakota, proposed to install 150kW of solar PV and a 250 kW/1,376 kWh BESS at the Lewis Goodhouse Wellness Center, an essential Tribal building and emergency sheltering area on the campus of United Tribes Technical College. Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Anadarko, Oklahoma, plans to install 1,200 kW of solar PV to meet 36 percent of the energy load of high-energy-consuming buildings in Hinton, saving the Tribe an estimated $170,000 annually and reducing its carbon footprint by 33,047 metric tons per year.

Additionally, the DOE said that through a new $25 million funding opportunity announcement, its Office of Indian Energy anticipates making approximately 20–40 awards that range from $100,000 to $2,500,000 for projects that support the planning, assessment, and development of clean energy for Tribal buildings or on Tribal lands.

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