On February 16th, 2012, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than USD 6.5 million for 9 clean energy projects that will allow Native American Tribes to advance clean energy within their communities by assessing local energy resources, developing renewable energy projects and deploying clean energy technologies.

“As President Obama highlighted in the State of the Union, the Administration is committed to building an American economy that lasts and leverages our nation’s clean energy resources,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said.

“The awards announced today will help Tribes across the country advance a sustainable energy future for their local communities, spur economic development, and advance innovative clean energy technologies.”


Support for feasibility studies, renewable energy development, and installation

The projects selected for negotiation of award fall under three project areas. DOE is providing a USD 3.6 million grant for feasibility studies to 13 projects. The grant will be used to assess the technical and economic viability of developing renewable energy resources on tribal lands to generate utility-scale power or study the feasibility of installing renewable energy systems on buildings to reduce energy use by 30%.

The second area is renewable energy development projects. Four projects will receive USD 1.7 million for pre-construction development activities. Three are developing more than 250 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy generation, and one, when implemented, would reduce the need for diesel fuel for heating by 80% – or 9,600 gallons annually.

The third and final area is installation projects. Two projects will receive USD 1.3 million to deploy renewable energy technologies to convert waste and other biomass to energy. Once installed, the projects will generate 5 MW of energy per hour using municipal solid waste and using cordwood for heating to save between 2,500 and 3,200 gallons of propane.

Since 2002, the DOE’s Tribal Energy Program has provided USD 36 million to 159 tribal energy projects.

2012-02-22| Courtesy: DOE | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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