Muckleshoot Indian Tribe – 2022 Project

NOTE: Project pages are being updated regularly to reflect changes, if any; however, some of the information may be dated.

Summary

​The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (MIT) will install approximately 130 kilowatts (kW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) on the Tribe’s Water Treatment Plant, Canoe Shed, and Drop-In Center located in Auburn, Washington. The three systems will offset 45% of the aggregated cost of electricity and save $388,134 over the life of the systems. Additionally, six tribal members will be trained in solar system installation.​

Project Description

Background

Established in 1857, the MIT Reservation is in King County, Washington, approximately 20 miles southeast of the City of Seattle on a plateau between the Green and White Rivers. The Tribe’s membership is made up of descendants from the Duwamish and Upper Puyallup people, whose traditional lands are the Central Puget Sound Region.

This project is the Tribe’s initial step toward achieving their “Long Term Energy Goal” to secure Tribal sovereignty by enhancing and strengthening the Tribe’s energy and economic infrastructure.

Project Objectives

The Tribe’s Energy Deployment Project’s goal is to promote energy development on the Muckleshoot Tribal land. This project will enable MIT to demonstrate the possibilities of solar PV through cost savings and job training.

The Tribe considered other options for achieving their energy objectives, including solar, biomass, and wind energy. Installing approximately 130 kW of solar PV on three Tribal facilities was identified as the best course of action for alternative energy after using the Tribal Energy Atlas tool as part of their analysis. Once the three solar PV systems are installed on the Tribe’s Water Treatment Plant, Canoe Shed, and the Youth Drop-In Center, the Tribe anticipates aggregate savings will be about $14,597 per year. The long-term goal is to increase capacity to generate alternative clean energy with minimal impacts on the environment.  

Additionally, by partnering with a vendor, the MIT will provide hands-on training and workforce development opportunities for about six Tribal employees and Muckleshoot citizens in solar PV installation, operation, and maintenance.

Project Scope

The MIT will install approximately 130 kW DC of grid-tied rooftop solar on three Tribal facilities: Water Treatment Plant, Canoe Shed, and Drop-In Center. The Tribe’s project team will work closely with a selected vendor to develop a comprehensive project management plan, including design and engineering, timeliness and workforce development goals, equipment procurement, and system installation.

A major aspect of the project is providing hands-on paid training to about six Tribal employees and Muckleshoot citizens in solar PV installations. This aligns with the Tribe’s goals of building local capacity and providing real-world work experience and potential career opportunities in solar PV to its citizens. The vendor will seek guidance from the MIT project team on identifying paid trainees as well as end goals of skill development through the training, including a long-term operations and maintenance plan tailored to the Tribe’s goals of local capacity building.

Project Location

The MIT Reservation is in King County, Washington, spanning over six square miles, adjacent to the town of Auburn, Washington. The Reservation is approximately 20 miles southeast of the City of Seattle on a plateau between the Green and White Rivers. This project will install approximately 130 kW DC of solar PV on the roofs of the Tribe’s Water Treatment Plant, Canoe Shed, and Drop-In Center.

Project Status

The project was competitively selected in Fiscal Year 2022 under the DOE Office of Indian Energy's funding opportunity announcement “Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands—2020” (DE-FOA-0002317) and started in September 2022.

The project status reports provide more information.