Two Microgrids With Solar Power Being Developed For Tribal Community In California
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The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians and OATI are partnering to develop two microgrids for the tribal community in Northern California. The goal of the project is to bring renewable energy onto tribal lands so they can have greater energy independence and control over their electricity supply. The tribal energy developer Woven Energy is involved in the project as well, and will integrate OATI’s GridMind® solution. With volatile electricity prices, energy independence can help reduce overreliance on utility power and decrease costs.
Representatives of OATI and Woven Energy answered some project questions for CleanTechnica.
What will the microgrid be used for and when will it be installed and operating?
The microgrid’s primary purpose is to provide electrical resiliency on the Paskenta Reservation. In addition to providing resiliency, the microgrid will substantially reduce energy costs for Paskenta.
The microgrid will power nearly all of Paskenta’s on-reservation facilities, including their casino, two hotel towers, travel center, golf operations, amphitheater, and water pumping and filtration system. Excess electricity will also be sold/shared to the grid, which will help support local electricity demand in the vicinity of the Paskenta Reservation.
The project includes two separately funded microgrids, but when working together they form one large one. This announcement is to share the second funded microgrid that is in part funded by FEMA with the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, along with announcing OATI as the technology partner who will manage the system.
The project initially broke ground in 2024 and once running, it will integrate OATI’s GridMind® solution into both microgrid sites to optimize how each system produces, stores and uses power through automated, timely and rule-based actions. OATI will additionally design and implement the solution to allow for integrated controls in normal operations and the ability for each microgrid to operate together or independently of each other.
What are its basic components and how is it managed? What is the cost?
Components
4.5MWac PV solar
3 MW/6 MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage
3 MW/15 MWh long duration energy storage flow battery
Microgrid controls provided by OATI
Electrical distribution upgrades to create a master metered point of interconnection and wholesale grade metering.
Cost
$32M from the California Energy Commission
$12.5M from FEMA
Additional funds from Paskenta and the Energy Investment Tax Credit.
What is the solar power array capacity and what is the energy storage system capacity?
4.5 MWac of solar
21 MWh battery energy storage.
How many people will use the solar and battery storage?
The microgrid will power nearly all of Paskenta’s on-reservation facilities, including their casino, two hotel towers, travel center, golf operations, amphitheater, and water pumping and filtration system. Excess electricity will also be sold/shared to the grid, which will help support local electricity demand in the vicinity of the Paskenta Reservation. The annual energy production of the facility is equivalent to fully powering about 800 typical homes.
Are there cost savings by using the solar power array and energy storage, and if so, what are they?
Yes, Paskenta will experience significant cost savings. Paskenta will self-generate roughly as much electricity as is used on the Reservation.
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