A different perspective: Native Americans and the smart grid

Renewables an ideal fit for tribal economic development

And as you would expect, renewables like wind, solar and biomass are becoming solid revenue sources for Native American tribes and communities in their own right. It only makes sense as tribes control 55 million acres of land in the country which are, according to DOE's Tribal Energy Program, capable of generating 535 billion kilowatt hours of power annually from wind alone, not to mention a whopping 17 trillion kilowatt hours from solar generation (about four times the amount of power generated in the country annually).

For example, the 3,000 or so members of the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico were on the verge of building a 30-acre solar installation in early 2010 and had a contract in hand with an outside buyer who would purchase the 4 megawatts the plant's 14,850 solar panels would produce. The $22 million project, funded by government grants, tax credits and loans, was expected to bring the long-impoverished tribe about $25 million over the next 25 years. The tribe has since moved into other renewables and energy efficiency projects.

Several tribes have done the same with wind and solar installations – and partnerships. Also in 2010, the Campo Kumeyaay Nation near San Diego fired up a 50-megawatt wind farm and partnered with San Diego Gas & Electric to build another larger one.

They're about smart grid, too

At roughly the same time the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA), apparently one of the busier Native American-owned utilities, deployed Elster's EnergyAxis® AMI Smart Grid system for electric, water and gas service to about 40,000 customers across the 26,000-square mile Navajo Nation and nearby communities. The smart grid project, intended to improve reliability, customer service and billing procedures, was funded in part by a DOE Smart Grid Investment Grant. The non-profit NTUA is involved in a variety of other smart grid and modernization projects.

The utility hasn't been content just to diversify and modernize its power generation and distribution capabilities, it also has been planning for the future. To support and sustain its efforts, NTUA has been developing a smart grid workforce training program. The utility has joined with the Navajo Technical College to market the program and to recruit students from the college with an aptitude and interest in working in the power industry.

And while it may sound like pure fiction and not entirely smart grid related, there are about 16,000 families in the Navajo Nation that do not have access to electricity and never have. With help from government loans and grants, the NTUA has been gradually extending power to remote outlying areas to remedy the situation. The utility announced earlier this month that it has arranged to provide power to 62 families in the community of LeChee, Arizona, over the next three years.

Native American communities, like any number of other communities in the country, also are involved in energy audits, building retrofits and other energy efficiency projects.

Obviously, this is by no means a complete overview of Native American involvement in grid modernization and renewables, but it is a snapshot. Comments and thoughts from readers are more than welcome.

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Reduced Energy Use?

If the intent of smart grid is to save energy, then why is NTUA purposely extending the electrical infrastructure to families with no power? Isn't a family that uses zero energy the coup de gras of any energy efficiency initiative? It seems technology may have led astray its advocates.

Wyatt Pierce - 02/23/2012 - 10:02

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