Below are links to tribal energy project case studies.
Financing Community-Scale Clean Energy Projects: Lessons from Project Developers in the Northwest
Investigates the challenges developers face in getting clean energy projects financed and provides information on the unique structures, costs, and processes for financing community-scale projects, identifies key challenges and weaknesses in financing, and highlights how developers have creatively financed community-scale projects. Source: Northwest SEED and Cake Ventures, Inc.
Forest County Potawatomi Tribe Cuts Emissions, Promotes Green Growth
Summarizes the challenges, solutions, and benefits of the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe’s efforts to implement renewable energy projects. Source: DOE Office of Indian Energy.
Municipal Electric Utilities: Analysis and Case Studies
Gives an overview of municipal electric utilities, the pros and cons of pursuing municipalization, and four case studies to provide context. Source: Boulder Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Working Group.
Promoting Generations of Self-Reliance: Stories and Examples of Tribal Adaptation to Change
Suggests three factors for communities to consider when planning for, implementing, and evaluating long-term adaptation goals: formulating a plan with holistic community support, adopting practical implementation strategies, and engaging in long-term evaluation and external partnerships. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Solar Way: Photovoltaics on Indian Lands
Examples of PV installations on Indian lands throughout the United States. Includes guidance on preserving cultural values during energy project development. Source: Sandia National Laboratories.
Tribal Authority Process Case Studies: The Conversion of On-Reservation Electric Utilities to Tribal Ownership and Operation
Case studies of tribal utilities and an overview of the processes followed by the Tribes in developing their utility authorities. Includes the Aha Macav Power Service, Tohono O’Odham Utility Authority, Umpqua Indian Utility Cooperative, Ak-Chin Indian Community Electric Utility Authority, Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority, Yakama Power, and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. Source: Western Area Power Administration.
Tribal Energy Program College Student Internship Papers
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Tribal Energy Program offers student internships each summer at Sandia National Laboratories. As part of the internship, current college upper-classmen and graduate students, who are familiar with Native American culture and tribal issues, support Tribal Energy Program efforts with technical project tasks and write papers based on their experiences. Below is a sampling of those papers.
- A Decade of Changes to an Alternative Power Source for a Rural Utility
- Benefits of Renewable Energy for Native Nations from the Environmental and Native Perspective
- Enhancing Monitoring and Reporting of Residential Renewable Energy Systems on the Navajo Nation
- Native American Renewable Energy Approaches: Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and NativeSun
- NativeSUN: A Model for Sustainable Solar Electric Systems on Indian Lands
- Navajo Tribal Utility Authority Solar Program System Data and O&M Initiative for DOE Solar Technologies Database
- Navajo Tribal Utility Authority: Electrification Demonstration Program — Developing a Sustainable Tribal and Rural Cooperative Solar Program
- Navajo Tribal Utility Authority: Photovoltaic Hybrid Operation and Maintenance Process for a Sustainable Program
- North Leupp Family Farms Project: Agriculture Systems Using Photovoltaic Cells and Small Wind
- Remote Monitoring System Design: Sustainable Systems for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
- Renewable Energy: Planning for Sustainability and Self-Determination for the Navajo Nation
- Researching Renewable Energy Systems Available to Indian Country
- Sustainability of Small Wind Turbines on Native American Tribal Lands
- The Ecological Effects of a Native Wind Energy Project
- Tribal Renewable Energy Integration: An Analysis of Current Tribal Infrastructure