Project Description
Introduction
The Pueblo of Jemez is one of 19 pueblos located in New Mexico. It has been in its present location since the late 1300s and currently is home to 3,030 tribal members. Most of the tribe resides in a pueblo village know as Walatowa, which is located in Sandoval county, N.M.
The Pueblo has a long-established government. Its mission is to provide charitable, benevolent, social, civil, and educational services as needed by the Jemez Pueblo tribe. The Pueblo has implemented a "Head Start" program, adult education programs, various community health services, tribal courts, and social services for the community.
The revenue of the Pueblo's combined tribal enterprises is about $80,000 a year. The tribal government's annual budget is about $4 million a year. The balance of the budget is provided in federal and state grants. The unemployment rate is 27% and the average income for a family of four to five members is less than $15,000 per year. The Pueblo is seeking opportunities to improve the conditions in the tribe, to offer the tribe greater financial independence, and to provide local jobs.
Goals and Objectives
In conducting a wind study for the Pueblo of Jemez, the Pueblo's objectives are to:
Collect on-site wind data to determine wind speed, wind density, and the overall viability of the wind resource for development,
Develop a preliminary business plan and an engineering survey with a possible layout of a wind farm, and
Educate the tribal council and the community on wind energy and electrical generation.
Project Actions and Resultant Data
The Pueblo of Jemez made available and employed its labor, facilities, equipment, materials, and other resources in performing the "Jemez Pueblo Wind Study" in cooperation with the following partners: the New Mexico Council of Independent Community Colleges, Texas A & M University, and Advanced Energy Systems. The project consisted of the following tasks:
Task 1. Detailed Work Plan Preparation
The detailed work plan included the following elements: (1) introduction (background and statement of needs); (2) objectives; (3) technical approach (task breakdown, a list of milestones and deliverables, and a schedule); and (4) management approach (organizational chart, partner responsibilities, and labor breakdown by task and person or organization). The draft plan was reviewed by the partners and revised to incorporate review comments. Copies of the revised plan were distributed to the partners.
Task 2. Wind Resource Assessment
The wind resource assessment included working with the partners and a qualified meteorologist to: (1) review existing wind resource data to determine locations on the "Ojo de Espritu Santo" land grant for wind measurements; (2) procure, install, and operate at lease one wind measurement station for a period of one year as specified in (1); (3) provide periodic data reports from the stations established in (2); and (4) providing a basic course in wind energy principles, set-up and operation of anemometers, siting of wind turbines, and computer analysis and reporting.
Task 3. Wind Farm Pre-feasibility Analysis
A wind farm pre-feasibility analysis included: (1) evaluating available wind technology; (2) preparing conceptual wind farm designs (array layouts and locations for capacities up to 500 mW); (3) preparing, using the results of task (2), estimates of annual electrical energy output and match with the utility load for each wind farm design; (4) estimating construction and operating costs for each wind farm design; (5) estimating the delivered cost of energy to the utility for each wind farm design, including the cost of a 20-mile transmission line; and (6) conducting a sensitivity analysis to determine, given specific wind farm capacities, what utility payment is required to breakeven.
Task 4. Business Plan Development
Business plan development included: (1) working with the Small Business Development Corporation and a qualified consultant; (2) preparing a preliminary business plan; (3) reviewing the business plan with the partners and the Pueblo of Jemez; and (4) presenting the business plan to potential investors and customers for the project.
Task 5. Project Support Activities
Project support activities included: (1) developing a draft memorandum of agreement for business development on the reservation; (2) developing a draft land use agreement for potential wind farm developers; (3) developing a complete profile of the type of employees needed during the construction and operation of the proposed wind farm.
Task 6. Tribal and Community Awareness Campaign
The tribal and community awareness campaign included: (1) working with the Los Alamos Pueblo's project coordinator to determine the types of information needed to educate the Pueblo on wind energy and the project; (2) reviewing the project objectives, activities, and plans quarterly with the Pueblo of Jemez; and (3) soliciting and reviewing comments from the tribal members.
Results, Conclusions, Findings, and Recommendations
The Pueblo partially completed the project. Some wind data were taken and analyzed by staff members of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. These data indicated that the anamometer site had a Class 4 wind regime, which is marginal for wind electricity production. No final report was ever submitted on the project, so it is not possible to determine what other progress was made on the project.
Project Status
For current project status or additional information, contact the project contacts.
Project Contact
Pueblo of Jemez
PO Box 100
Jemez Pueblo, NM 87024
Telephone: (505) 834-7359
<p><strong>Tribe/Awardee</strong><br />Pueblo of Jemez</p><p><strong>Location</strong><br />Jemez Pueblo, NM</p><p><strong>Project Title</strong><br />Jemez Pueblo Wind Study</p><p><strong>Type of Application</strong><br />Feasibility</p><p><strong>DOE Grant Number</strong><br />DE-FG48-95R810565</p><p><strong>Project Amounts</strong><br />DOE: $91,608<br />Awardee: $23,000<br />Total: $114,608</p><p><strong>Project Status</strong><br />Complete</p><p><strong>Project Period of Performance</strong><br />Start: September 1995<br />End: September 1998</p>