California tribes invest in microgrid project

Four Northern California tribes are working together on a microgrid project to improve power reliability in their remote region.

The project will help the Yurok, Hoopa and Karuk Tribes avoid frequent power outages by generating their own renewable energy.

Heidi Moore-Guynup, from the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe, said these tribes live along one of Pacific Gas & Electric's most unreliable power lines.

"They are without power often," she said. "This could be because of a tree limb. This could be because of extreme heat. This could be because of planned or unplanned power outages. It could be because there's an earthquake here on the coast."

The Blue Lake Rancheria is helping develop the microgrid, including installing two demonstration systems at their new government building and their resiliency campus currently under construction. They already have two other microgrids, which Moore-Guynup said are a model for others across the state.

The microgrids will use solar panels and batteries, and they'll be connected together. That means power can be redirected to different areas where it's needed. Three different systems will be installed for each tribe.

Linnea Jackson, manager of the Hoopa Valley Tribe Public Utilities District, said this project will bring a number of benefits to tribes, including workforce development.

"We have to be able to sustain these over the next 10-20 years and beyond," Jackson said. "We need to have that workforce development. We need to have tribal training for electricians and all of the other workforce components that are necessary."

Jackson said the goal is to be able to supply current power demands for at least 24 hours if the power goes out.

The tribes are getting $88 million dollars from the federal Department of Energy to build this project. Jackson said the tribes will need to raise another $88 million to match that. But, this is still half the cost of other ways to improve resiliency, including putting powerlines underground, Jackson said.

They're working with the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt to design this system. Jackson said they hope to get the microgrid online by 2029.

First published Aug. 9, 2024. Copyright 2024 Jefferson Public Radio. Reprinted with permission. This story: https://www.ijpr.org/environment-energy-and-transportation/2024-08-09/new-microgrid-project-will-bring-power-resiliency-to-northern-california-tribes. More at: https://www.ijpr.org/.