The Bishop Paiute Tribe’s project consists of the design, installation, inspection, and interconnection of approximately 34 grid-tied, solar electric systems, totaling at least 120 kilowatts (kW) rated capacity, on qualified existing low-income single-family homes located within the Bishop Paiute Reservation, which will provide at least 65%–79% savings in displaced electricity. Tribal job trainees will be hired for each installation, gaining valuable job experience. Additionally, each homeowner will be educated on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Bishop Paiute Reservation, located in Inyo County, California, on an 875-acre Reservation established in 1936, is a low-income community with 81% of households below 2009 HUD Low Income Guideline, based on family size. The extreme temperatures of the Owens Valley mean high heating costs (via propane, electricity, and wood fuel) from November through April and high cooling costs (via electricity) from May through September, posing a significant financial burden for most Reservation households. California also has among the highest electricity rates in the United States, with low-income families paying a much higher percentage of their income for utilities than the average U.S. household.

The Bishop Paiute Tribe is dedicated to improving energy efficiency and implementing renewable energy, and this commitment is part of the Tribe’s strategic energy plan drafted by tribal leaders in 2015. As noted in that plan: “The energy vision of the Bishop Paiute Tribe is to achieve energy self-sufficiency while preserving cultural traditions, protecting the environment, and developing the economy through sustainable and efficient use of resources.” Included in the plan are goals and commitments to train 100 tribal members in the skills and trade of renewable energy installation and to provide rooftop mounted solar photovoltaic systems to 50% of low-income Reservation homeowners by year 2020. These commitments are a reflection on the Tribe’s commitment to self-sufficiency and protection of the environment. Affordable energy and the ability to harness the sun’s energy will help build the blocks of economic and social self-sufficiency and sovereignty in the community. Efficient use of resources will help the Tribe support protection of the world environment, reducing the need to deplete precious resources and emit harmful climate-altering gasses. In addition to efforts in renewable energy, the Tribe has committed to promote efficient use of energy in buildings and community centers managed by the tribal government with a goal to reduce overall energy use by 20% by 2020. This project supports the Tribe’s commitment to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental protection and its vision to install solar energy systems on all buildings on the Reservation where it is technically feasible.

Over the past two years, 66 solar electric systems, totaling more than 259 kW of clean renewable energy, have already been installed on residences on the Reservation, with another 18 projects to soon be completed. These systems are displacing 30% to 75% of each home’s electricity use while helping the low-income families save on their electricity bills. See more on the DOE-funded 2015 project. This project will build on previous efforts by providing solar job opportunities to tribal and community members that received hand-on skills in the prior PV installations.

The overall project goal is to deploy clean energy systems in order to achieve the Bishop Paiute Tribe’s long-term goals of energy self-sufficiency, environmental protection, and better lives for their tribal members and community.

This project is to install 34 grid-tied, net-metered rooftop solar electric systems on owner-occupied, single-family homes of low-income families living on the Reservation while at the same time hiring job trainees as installers for a minimum of 132 hours of paid work. The 34 homes that will receive solar energy systems are pre-existing and are located on the Reservation. The homes total 37,425 square feet, with a mean of 1,069 square feet per home. The oldest homes were built in the late 1960s, and more than half were built in the 1990s to present. Overall, the 34 homes have high electricity usage during the winter and summer months. The total combined annual electricity usage for the homes in 2014–2015 was approximately 215,148 kilowatt-hours (kWh)/year.

The approximately 120 kW to be installed are estimated to produce 170,000 kWh annually, displacing at least 65%–79% of the homes’ total electricity use of 215,148 kWh/year (reduced to 45,148), generating approximately $1.29 million worth of power for low-income families over their lifespans, while eliminating an estimated 2,640 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Actual installations will take place over the course of one to two days. During the first day, under the supervision of the Solar Partnership Program (SPP) contractors, the tribal job trainees will participate in a review of SPP, review site plans for the particular installation, identify materials, tools, and equipment needed for the project, install racking on the roof of the home, hang electrical boxes, and install conduit. The second day, the tribal job trainees will participate in prepping and installing the solar modules, wiring the system, and finally, seeing the system turned on for the first time by the homeowner. The tribal job trainees will obtain experience working for a for-profit solar contractor—experience that can help them gain future employment in the industry.

Energy production from the installed solar electric system will be verified by taking readings from the installed inline production meter. Energy savings (amount, cost, and percentage) will be calculated using client’s bills (accessible online for the electricity provider) as well as the readings from the production meter. Performance monitoring is also available through the micro-inverter technology if the homeowner has an Internet connection.

The Bishop Paiute Tribe is located in Inyo County, California, on an 875-acre reservation, was established in 1936, and has a population of 1,796. According to the 2009 tribal census, of approximately 523 households on the Reservation, about 91%, were Native American that year.

The project is complete. For additional details, see the final report.

The project was competitively selected under the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy’s Fiscal Year 2015 funding opportunity announcement “Deployment of Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects on Indian Lands – 2015” (DE-FOA-0001390) and started in July 2016.

The November 2016, November 2017, and December 2018 project status reports provide more information.