The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy provides tribes and Alaska Natives with information on energy efficiency and energy technologies and project development through webinars and online curriculum.
Register for upcoming webinars below or access past webinars. All webinars are offered at no cost and scheduled at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mountain Time (MT) the last Wednesday of each month.
2020 Tribal Energy Webinar Series
The 2020 Tribal Energy Webinar Series will focus on how to accomplish specific tasks related to energy development on tribal lands. Presenters will provide instruction and sharing tools and resources. Tribal case studies will emphasize the processes and tools used rather than the specific details of a particular project.
| Date | Webinar Title and Description |
|---|---|
| February 26 | When trying to lower energy bills or reduce environmental impact from energy generation, the first step is to look for opportunities to increase energy efficiency. This webinar will define what energy efficiency is and explore how to identify potential measures to reduce your Tribe’s energy use. |
| March 25 | Energy Efficiency Projects from Concept to Completion The previous webinar discussed the value of energy efficiency and how to identify buildings with strong potential for energy efficiency projects. Once your Tribe has identified energy efficiency as a goal and considered the opportunities, the next stage consists of defining and executing the project. This webinar will focus on how to move a project from concept to completion. |
| April 29 | Developing Your Energy Vision: What Do You Want Your Tribe’s Energy Future To Be? Once the low-hanging fruit of energy efficiency has been addressed, longer-term planning on future energy needs and energy options is needed. If you don’t identify where you want to go, you can’t plot the course to get there. This webinar will explore how tribes can develop a vision for their energy future. |
| May 27 | Tribal Energy Project Technology Options The energy landscape continues to evolve rapidly. In many areas, costs continue to drop as technology improvements and other market drivers create greater opportunity for distributed generation. This webinar will provide an overview of several common energy technology options. |
| June 24 | After a tribal energy vision has been developed, the next step is to identify specific energy projects to pursue and how best to use your energy resources. Tribes often have many options to consider. This webinar will provide guidance on how to select energy projects that meet your energy vision. |
| July 29 | How to Create Partnerships to Advance Tribal Energy Projects Partnerships can often help tribes meet their energy goals. It is important for tribes to be purposeful in selecting project partners and developing effective partnerships. This webinar will discuss how to find and select partners that can best assist you in achieving your energy goals. |
| August 26 | The easiest energy projects to complete are the ones you have the most control over. “Behind-the-meter” projects typically give you that control. This webinar will focus on the benefits and nuances of behind-the-meter projects and why they work. |
| September 30 | Major Energy Project Agreements Energy projects that are not “behind the meter” often require agreements that define how the tribe will work with other parties such as utilities, contractors, and investors. Negotiating and understanding these agreements is essential to the success of any tribal energy project. This webinar will explain some of the most common project agreements and provide ideas on how to negotiate them. |
| October 28 | Tribal Microgrids: Exploring Why and How Interests in microgrids continues to grow as the number of microgrid projects increase and the value proposition becomes more evident. This webinar will explore common applications for microgrids and the benefits they can provide to tribal communities. Tribal case studies will highlight why and how those tribes chose to develop microgrids. |
| December 2 | Many tribes across Indian Country have had energy successes. Each situation is unique, with differing reasons, approaches, and challenges. By sharing the successes of other tribes, you can gain valuable inspiration and insights. This webinar will share a few of these tribal energy success stories. |