Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe of California
“Our investment in the solar array and microgrid have helped us to create new jobs, reduce our energy costs by about $200,000 a year, offset carbon emissions and provide emergency power.” – Jana Ganion, Blue Lake Rancheria Sustainability Director
The Scenario
The Blue Lake Rancheria is a federally recognized Native American tribal government and community located in a remote region of Humboldt County, California. The tribal community is committed to achieving Zero Net carbon emissions by 2030, utilizing a range of solutions including electric vehicle charging, advanced energy efficiency, and multiple microgrids.
The Solution
REC Solar built, operates and supports a nearly 500 KW, ground-mounted solar array located near adjacent to its hotel/casino. The solar plus energy storage cuts energy costs when the grid is up and powers up to 50% of operations when the grid is unavailable. During outages, such as Public Safety Power Shutoffs, the Blue Lake tribe uses its microgrid – developed in conjunction with Siemens and the Schatz Energy Research Center – to power its Red Cross Emergency Center operations and provide critical power to its broader Northern California community.
Learn more about Jana Ganion, Sustainability Director for Blue Lake Rancheria, as part of the Today’s Leaders. Tomorrow’s Heroes. video series.
