At least 13 American Indian and Alaska Native communities received $12 million in funding this week from the U.S. Department of Energy to help them reduce energy costs and increase energy security.
The selected projects will power their homes and communities, make their buildings more energy efficient, and install microgrids for essential services and resiliency – critical elements to reaching the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Seven of the awards are to tribal communities in Alaska. The Ute Mountain Tribe in Towaoc, Colorado received $427,997 to install solar PV systems on 20 homes and a supportive housing facility in the community located in the far southwest corner of the state.
“The Department of Energy is committed to working with American Indian and Alaska Native communities to strengthen energy infrastructure on Tribal lands,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “These selections, the first from the Office of Indian Energy this year, underscore the Biden Administration’s commitment to ensuring that communities disproportionately affected by climate change directly benefit from clean energy investments.”
Since 2010, DOE’s Office of Indian Energy has invested over $100 million in more than 190 tribal energy projects across the contiguous 48 states and Alaska, valued at over $180 million . Through these grants, the Office of Indian Energy continues its efforts, in partnership with Native communities, to maximize the deployment of clean energy solutions for the benefit of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Collectively, the selected projects are estimated to result in nearly 3.5 megawatts of clean energy generation and over 3.5 megawatt-hours of battery storage, serving over 1,300 tribal buildings and saving those communities a combined $1.8 million annually. The awardees are: