“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 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.