Solar Power News
First Utility-Scale Solar Plant on U.S. Tribal Lands
Written by Raina Xiao Monday, 25 January 2010 14:44
55 million acres of land in the United States are controlled by Native American tribes. Those lands hold within them the potential for roughly 535 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind energy per year and 17 trillion kWh of annual solar power capacity, or more than four times the electricity generated in the U.S. each year. The Jemez Pueblo band in New Mexico will be the first Native tribe to install a grid-tied, utility-scale solar power plant on its lands, contributing up to 4 megawatts of solar power to the electric grid.
The primary goal behind the solar plant, beside the sacred tradition of caring for the Earth, is to improve life for the Pueblo reservation’s 3,000 residents. Poverty is a profound problem on reservations across the country, with unemployment frequently doubling the national average. Solar and wind power offer, at minimum, a way for tribes to become self-sustaining, and at best, a way to bring in much-needed revenue for members.
The Jemez Pueblo solar plant will cost $22 million to build, occupying 30 acres of desert landscape and housing 14,850 solar panels. It is estimated that the 4-MW installation will bring in $25 million over the next 25 years, allowing the tribe to upgrade its drinking water system and replace lagoons it uses for wastewater treatment.
The federal government has been working with Native tribes for the last several years to promote renewable energy projects. Between 2002 and 2008, the U.S. Tribal Energy Program funded over 100 projects totaling over $16.5 million, and since 2005, federal law allocates up to $20 million annually for the program. Yet most tribes use funding to secure renewable energy to power casinos and other tribal buildings without much concern for the electric grid beyond reservation boundaries. The Jemez Pueblo solar farm will be the first tribal plant to benefit the greater electric grid as well, and if successful, could ignite a rush of tribal solar projects.
The federal government has been working with Native tribes for the last several years to promote renewable energy projects. Between 2002 and 2008, the U.S. Tribal Energy Program funded over 100 projects totaling over $16.5 million, and since 2005, federal law allocates up to $20 million annually for the program. Yet most tribes use funding to secure renewable energy to power casinos and other tribal buildings without much concern for the electric grid beyond reservation boundaries. The Jemez Pueblo solar farm will be the first tribal plant to benefit the greater electric grid as well, and if successful, could ignite a rush of tribal solar projects.
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|