New Microgrid Helps Power Humboldt County Native American Reservation

A partnership between the California Energy Commission, the Blue Lake Rancheria and Humboldt State University has given the Native American reservation a new and reliable clean energy source.

Work was completed earlier this year on a two-year, $6.3 million microgrid project that will meet the reservation’s day-to-day energy needs. Funding included a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge program.

The EPIC program supports innovations and strategies to advance clean energy technologies that help California meet its energy and climate goals.

The Blue Lake Rancheria is located in an isolated area 15 miles northeast of Eureka. Its microgrid system operates independent of the larger electrical grid and provides power to the 100-acre reservation including its government offices, a casino, and an onsite hotel and event center. Energy is generated through a 500-kilowatt solar array, the largest in Humboldt County, and batteries are used for storage.

The rancheria is also an emergency evacuation center where county residents would go during a natural disaster. During those contingencies, the microgrid would power emergency facilities including an operations center and an American Red Cross-certified shelter.

Microgrid systems like this are helping California meet its energy and climate goals by reducing fossil fuel use and easing pressure on the electricity grid.

Photo credit: Siemens USA.