Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP) Grant

Our funding helped the Tribe finalize the acquisition of a hydroelectric project, which now generates an estimated $40 million in revenue per year, supplies energy to over 100,000 homes and provides well paying, highly skilled jobs for tribal members.

With our funding, the Tribe completed engineering and planning studies that found that a solar-battery-diesel micro-grid system configuration was the most economically viable solution for its needs. The Tribe used results of our grant to obtain funding for a project from the California Energy Commission. That project generates approximately $200,000 per year in cost savings, and the Rancheria is now a designated Red Cross shelter-in place community with a micro-grid that provides emergency power for critical facilities.

With our funding from two separate grants, the band completed engineering and planning for a solar array and identified economic opportunities for a woody biomass district heating facility. The band then used results of the studies to secure funding from Minnesota Power and the State of Minnesota. The solar project now generates an estimated $80,000 per year in cost savings, and the biomass project saves $21,000 per year by displacing 88% of propane use at their community center.