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This newsletter describes key activities of the DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs for Spring 2013.
This technical report provides an overview of existing and potential financing structures for renewable energy project development in Alaska with a focus on four primary sources of project funding: government financed or supported (the most commonly used structure in Alaska today), developer equity capital, commercial debt, and third-party tax-equity investment. While privately funded options currently have limited application in Alaska, their implementation is theoretically possible based on successful execution in similar circumstances elsewhere. This report concludes that while tax status is a key consideration in determining appropriate financing structure, there are opportunities for both taxable and tax-exempt entities to participate in renewable energy project development.
This white paper surveys DOD installations that could have an increased potential interest in the purchase of energy from renewable energy projects on tribal lands. Identification of likely purchasers of renewable energy is a first step in the energy project development process, and this paper aims to identify likely electricity customers that tribal commercial-scale projects could serve. This white paper builds on a geospatial analysis completed in November 2012 identifying 53 reservations within 10 miles of military bases (DOE 2012). This analysis builds on those findings by further refining the list of potential opportunity sites to 15 reservations (Table ES-1), based on five additional factors: 1) The potential renewable resources required to meet the installation energy loads; 2) Proximity to transmission lines; 3) Military installation energy demand; 4) State electricity prices; 5) Local policy and regulatory environment.
This fact sheet provides information on the Alaska Native villages selected to receive assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy 2013 Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Program, which provides technical expertise to support the development of next-generation energy projects on tribal lands.
The Alaska Native Weatherization Training and Jobs Project expanded weatherization services for tribal members’ homes in southeast Alaska while providing weatherization training and on the job training (OJT) for tribal citizens that lead to jobs and most probably careers in weatherization-related occupations. The program resulted in; (a) 80 Alaska Native citizens provided with skills training in five weatherization training units that were delivered in cooperation with University of Alaska Southeast, in accordance with the U.S. Department of Energy Core Competencies for Weatherization Training that prepared participants for employment in three weatherization-related occupations: Installer, Crew Chief, and Auditor; (b) 25 paid OJT training opportunities for trainees who successfully completed the training course; and (c) employed trained personnel that have begun to rehab on over 1,000 housing units for weatherization.
This fact provides information on the Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Program, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (DOE-IE) initiative to provide technical expertise to support the development of next-generation energy projects in Indian Country.
This newsletter describes key activities of the DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs for Summer/Fall 2013.
In 2011, a DOE Tribal energy Program first Steps Human Capacity was awarded to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (LRBOI). The main purpose of the grant was to increase human capacity of LRBOI, to understand the components of renewable energy and the importance of energy efficiency. This report summarizes the activities, the outcomes, and the lessons learned during this grant.
The focus of this project is to support the addition of renewable energy technologies to the existing CBMI resource recovery park, known as the Cabazon Resource Recovery Park (CRRP) in Mecca, California. The concept approved for this project was to determine if the resources and the needs existed for the addition of a Renewable Energy Demonstration Center (REDC) at the CRRP. The REDC concept is envisioned to support the need of startup renewable companies for a demonstration site that reduces their development costs.
The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC or the Community) contracted the ANTARES Group, Inc. (“ANTARES”) to assess the feasibility of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. A solar energy project could provide a number of benefits to the Community in terms of potential future energy savings, increased employment, environmental benefits from renewable energy generation and usage, and increased energy self-sufficiency.
The results of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study of Stockbridge Munsee Community’s Health and Wellness Center (HWC) indicate that a variety of renewable energy options and energy conservation measures (ECMs) exist for the facility. A requirement of the Request for Proposal for this study was to assess renewable energy options that could offset 30 to 100 percent of the HWC’s energy use. This study identifies that a geothermal system is the most cost effective renewable energy option available to decrease the HWC’s energy consumption by 30 to 100 percent. Currently the HWC performs in the lowest 8 percent of buildings in its building category, as scored in the EPA portfolio manager benchmarking tool. Multiple ECM opportunities have been identified with paybacks of less than five years to yield an estimated 25-percent decrease in annual energy consumption. The ECMs within this payback period are estimated to save $26,800 per year with an implementation cost of just $4,650 (0.2 year payback). For the Mohican Family Center document: The results of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study of Stockbridge Munsee Community’s Mohican Family Center (MFC) indicate that a variety of renewable energy options and energy conservation measures (ECMs) exist for the facility. A requirement of the Request for Proposal for this study was to assess renewable energy options that could offset 30 to 100 percent of the MFC’s energy use. This study identifies that a geothermal system is the most cost effective renewable energy option available to decrease the MFC’s energy consumption by 30 to 100 percent. Currently the MFC performs better than 80 percent of buildings in its building category, as scored in the EPA portfolio manager benchmarking tool. Multiple ECM opportunities have been identified with short term paybacks to yield an estimated 13-percent decrease in energy consumption. The ECMs within this payback period are estimated to save $3,100 per year with an implementation cost of under $20,000.
The overall purposes of the Quinault Indian Nation’s Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project were to: (1) Identify and confirm community and tribal energy needs; (2) Conducting an inventory of sustainable biomass feedstock availability; (3) Development of a biomass energy vision statement with goals and objectives; (4) Identification and assessment of biomass options for both demand-side and supply side that are viable to the Quinault Indian Nation (QIN); and (5) Developing a long-term biomass strategy consistent with the long-term overall energy goals of the QIN. This Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project is consistent with the QIN’s prior two-year DOE Renewable Energy Study from 2004 through 2006. That study revealed that the most viable options to the QIN’s renewable energy options were biomass and energy efficiency best practices. QIN's Biomass Strategic Planning Project is focused on using forest slash in chipped form as feedstock for fuel pellet manufacturing in support of a tribal biomass heating facility. This biomass heating facility has been engineered and designed to heat existing tribal facilities as well as tribal facilities currently being planned including a new K-12 School.
This "Renewable Energy Park - Preliminary Feasibility & Engineering Report" seeks to provide an overall assessment and review of renewable energy development opportunities on the Fallon Indian Reservation and Colony Lands.
Final Report on pre-construction activities grant for the Shu'luuk Wind project on the Campo Indian Reservation
The Navajo Hopi Land Commission Office (NHLCO) and Navajo Nation (NN) plan to develop renewable energy (RE) projects on the Paragon-Bisti Ranch (PBR) lands, set aside under the Navajo Hopi Land Settlement Act (NHLSA) for the benefit of Relocatees. This feasibility study (FS), which was funded under a grant from DOE’s Tribal Energy Program (TEP), was prepared in order to explore the development of the 22,000-acre PBR in northwestern New Mexico for solar energy facilities. Topics covered include: • Site Selection • Analysis of RE, and a Preliminary Design • Transmission, Interconnection Concerns and Export Markets • Financial and Economic Analysis • Environmental Study • Socioeconomic and Cultural Factors • Next Steps.
This report provides a summary of the activities, results, and conclusions of Colville's tribal utility development project.
This study for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation examines conditions in the electricity sector that are likely to affect federal decisions with respect to Navajo Generating Station (NGS), the largest coal-fired power plant operating in the western United States. The federal government owns 24.3% of the 2.25-gigawatt plant, which amounts to 547 megawatts (MW) of capacity. By focusing on the unique public interests that depend on the federal share of NGS, this baseline study can help the federal government develop a road map for meeting all of its goals with respect to water delivery, clean energy, emission reduction, and economic development. There is no recommendation for action in this report. Rather, its aim is to provide a credible, thorough description of baseline conditions that might affect federal decisions regarding NGS. It describes facts and trends embedded in current data, but there are no conclusions about how Reclamation or DOI should respond to the trends. The interdependencies among the many sectoral trends and federal goals are complex, and the aim of this study is to provide a foundation from which options can be tested in a deliberate manner.
It is the intention of the Yakama Nation to make improvements on the Wapato Irrigation Project (WIP) for the benefit of all stakeholders. Water management, water conservation and water allocation on the Wapato Irrigation Project is equally as important as hydropower. Irrigation will always be the primary purpose of this water system, but the irrigation system can also generate energy. The purpose of this project is the purchase and installation of inflow water turbines to generate an additional one megawatt of hydro-electrical power. The project will occur in two phases, Environmental Assessment and Project Implementation. The core objective for this proposal is to meet the Yakama Nation’s goal in hydroelectric power development. This will include the installation of inflow water turbines on the Wapato Irrigation Project. The Yakama Nation will prepare an Environmental Assessment in preparation to purchase and install new water turbines for hydropower generation of 1 Megawatt. This is a valuable economic development strategy for Yakama Nation that will create new jobs, improve and increase rural electrification, and attract private investments. This water system has an untapped low head/low power potential without the need to construct a new dam. The objective of Phase 1 is to complete an environmental assessment and obtain approval to proceed with installation of the hydroelectric power system.