California tribes unite for $177M microgrid project to combat power outages and boost energy sovereignty (2024)

A trio of federally recognized tribes in northern California face a persistent and growing problem: frequent and prolonged power outages that disrupt daily life, endanger vital services, and threaten the well-being of their Native communities.

These outages — more than 100 hours in total each year — leave the Hoopa Valley, Yurok and Karuk tribes in vulnerable positions, given their reservations’ remote locations in eastern Humboldt County, Calif.

In response, the tribesare coming together on an innovative $177 million microgrid project, backed by $88 million from the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Program (GRIP). The project — a partnership between the three tribes, Blue Lake Rancheria, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt — is called the Tribal Energy Resilience and Sovereignty Program (TERAS). Together, the partners aim to transform the unreliable 142-mile “Hoopa 1101” distribution circuit into a resilient renewable energy system that will reduce outages drastically.

The TERAS project will deploy three “nested” microgrids that can operate independently or together during outages, providing power to critical community institutions —even during broader outages on the circuit. These grids will push power into the circuit itself while also funneling some energy into on-site storage. That will help ensure consistent electricity for essential services like healthcare, emergency response, and food storage during outages.

The TERAS project will also include development of a complex controls system that’s built to support rugged, rural and wildfire-prone environments. TERAS project work is expected to begin in 2025, with the microgrid systems operational within five years, according to a statement.

The project offers the tribes and its partners a chance to “radically expand” the capacity of microgrids to provide energy reliability in high-risk locations,” Schatz Center Director Arne Jacobson said. “These tribes are already leading the field in dam removal, healthy fire on the land, middle and last-mile telecommunications access, and renewable energy systems deployment – and will now support development of what we hope will be a game-changing climate resilience solution.”

The federally recognized Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe, whose reservation is located along the Baduwa’t River in coastal Humboldt, will collaborate with the other three tribes as a key partner, leveraging its expertise in microgrid development. The Rancheria has operated its own microgrid system since 2017, using it to support critical infrastructure including a tribal casino, hotel, and gas station.

Building on its experience, the Blue Lake Rancheria is expanding its own campus energy system into four nested microgrids that will serve as a testing ground for the TERAS project’s Hoopa 1101 circuit. The project also supports the Rancheria’s principles of self-determination and resilience, according to Jason Ramos, acting chair and tribal administrator for Blue Lake Rancheria.

“This project makes us even more resilient,” Ramos said. “As we’ve demonstrated with our earlier microgrids, this nested microgrid project will advance critical technology, and that’s good for all Californians.”

The Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt, which also developed the award-winning 100% renewable energy microgrid at Redwood Coast Airport, will lead technical development for the TERAS project.

That microgrid was quickly put to the test during an earthquake in Humboldt County in 2022, said Redwood Coast Energy Authority Interim Executive Director Eileen Verbeck.

“During the earthquake, much of Humboldt lost power, but we were able to keep the Coast Guard online (while they provided emergency services). The technology has proven instrumental in these situations,” Verbeck told Tribal Business News. “The tribes are experiencing these kinds of outages even outside of emergency situations.”

Blue Lake Rancheria’s existing microgrid—which powers the tribe’s hotel, casino and gas station—demonstrates the benefits of reliable energy, according to Heidi Moore-Guynup, director of tribal and government affairs. She said the microgrid has been crucial during emergencies. For example, the microgrid-powered tribal hotel can house people affected by power outages —including elders, families and workers dealing with the outage.

“With the microgrid, it allows us to have really consistent, reliable electrification regardless of what happens with the grid, and it allows us to maintain our own operations as well,” Moore-Guynup said. “Our hotel has supported dozens and dozens of individuals in those types of crises.”

The Rancheria’s existing microgrids will be further expanded with new controller technology and larger capacities, according to its Director of Energy Resilience and Business Development Matthew Marshall. In effect, the controller technology will provide the best of both worlds between renewable energy and backup generators. When the power grid is functioning as normal, the rancheria’s expanded microgrid will contribute power to the wider circuit. When something goes wrong, the microgrid can isolate itself — or even send some of its power to an affected area elsewhere on the reservation.

“Having these grids saves you money when the power is on,” Marshall said. “This grant's going to allow us to nest all those different facilities together and be able to demonstrate this more integrated approach, and so we’ll be sort of the proving ground for this concept.”

Once the technology is perfected and working on the Blue Lake Rancheria, the TERAS project will build and deploy the three community-scale microgrids in the Yurok, Karuk, and Hoopa Valley communities.

With the microgrids in place, disruptions in one community along the Hoopa 1101 won’t bring down the others. As a matter of fact, the grids could allow these communities to provide power to one another, Moore-Guynup said.

“What it essentially means is that all along the distribution circuit will be reliable access to clean energy,” Moore-Guynup said.

Leaders of the Karuk, Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes say the microgrids could be transformative for their communities.

Karuk Tribe Chairman Russell “Buster” Atteberry said the Karuk community of Panamnik is faced with blackouts “more often than not,” for example.

“Microgrid energy will not only empower our tribal sovereignty, but provide the safeguards needed to survive along the river,” Atteberry said. “Our people will no longer fear losing their food or vital medical resources, like vaccines, as we have in the past.”

The TERAS project, he said, “is a great example of tribes working together in accomplishing good for their people.”

Linnea Jackson, general manager for the Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District, echoed the sentiment. She said TERAS was a natural extension of the tribe’s renewable energy work.

“This award further enables our efforts in ensuring tribal sovereignty and environmental protection for our community,” Jackson said. “We look forward to leveraging this opportunity to build a resilient and sustainable energy future for our tribe and beyond.”

TERAS is the only tribe-focused project out of the latest funding round from GRIP, which is a Department of Energy administered funding opportunity born from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The program’s latest distribution allocated $2.2 billion for 8 projects across 18 states to improve power grids’ resilience in the face of increasing climate change impacts.

In a statement, Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said as climate impacts grow more severe, lowering costs and improving grid resilience is paramount.

“We must act with urgency to strengthen our aging grid … to allow more resilient, clean power to reach more households,” Granholm said.

The surge in clean energy projects is also expected to create thousands of jobs. Another component of TERAS will be a pre-apprenticeship program for low-voltage electricians developed between the four tribes participating in the grant.

Moore-Guynup said it was an opportunity to “open doors” for tribal members coming from disadvantaged communities and into long-term careers.

Plus, she added, tribes with new microgrids are going to need electricians.

“We're going to create a pathway with a priority for tribal members to have access to meaningful and gainful employment,” Moore-Guynup said. “We’re working on broadband implementation. There’s going to be offshore wind that will need them. We’re going to need that occupation.”