Clean energy projects for 18 Native American and Alaska Native communities have received $34 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Goals of the funds are to lower energy costs and increase security, a department news release said.
The projects will generate an estimated nine megawatts of new clean energy and more than 6,700 megawatt-hours of battery storage, while providing electricity to 1,000 tribal buildings, the release said. It’s estimated the projects could save the communities more than “$100 million over the life of the systems.”
“These selected projects reflect DOE’s commitment to meet the climate crisis head on and guarantee tribal communities have access to electricity and clean energy technology,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in the release.
“These crucial investments support President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while ensuring American Indian and Alaska Native communities, many of whom are facing the most dire consequences of climate change, will directly benefit from these investments, resulting in stronger, more resilient tribal nations,” she added.
The funding of the clean energy projects, “valued in total at more than $49 million, are the result of two competitive funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) released Nov. 1, 2022,” the release said.
“One for the deployment of clean energy technology and one to power unelectrified tribal buildings,” the release added. “Through these FOAs and these selected projects, the Office of Indian Energy continues its efforts to strengthen tribal energy and economic infrastructure, resource development and electrification on tribal lands.”
Among projects that will save money is the project of installing a 1.7 megawatt community wind turbine for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in Fort Yates, North Dakota, the release said. The project, which received an award amount of $4 million, is expected “to meet 85% of the Prairie Knights Resort annual load,” and will save the tribe more than $15 million over the system’s life, DOE says.
The “Tribal Energy Projects Database” is available online.
