Bishop Paiute Tribe – 2015 Project

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

Summary

The Bishop Paiute Tribe Residential Solar Program project consists of the design, installation, inspection, and interconnection of 22 grid-tied solar electric systems, with rated capacity totaling at least 58 kilowatts (kW), on qualified existing low-income single-family homes within the Bishop Paiute Reservation. The systems will provide homeowners with cost savings of at least 15% in displaced electricity. Community volunteers and tribal job trainees will assist with the installations, gaining valuable hands-on experience. Additionally, each homeowner will be educated on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The Bishop Paiute Tribe is federally recognized and governed by a Tribal Council of five tribal members who are elected by tribal members/General Council. General Council (the tribal community) meets quarterly to discuss concerns and to advise the Tribal Council. The Tribal Council also takes direction from tribal members/General Council via survey, referendum, quarterly meetings, and public hearing.

The 875-acre Bishop Paiute Reservation (Reservation) was established in 1936 and has a population of 1,651. According to the 2009 tribal census, of approximately 523 households on the Reservation, about 91% were Native American.

The Bishop Paiute Tribe is dedicated to improving energy efficiency and implementing renewable energy, and this commitment is part of the Tribe’s strategic plan. This dedication is a reflection of the Tribe’s commitment to self-sufficiency and protection of the environment. Affordable energy and the production the Tribe’s own energy will build economic and social self-sufficiency and sovereignty. Energy efficiency and renewable energy will protect the environment from resource depletion and harmful emissions. The Tribe plans to work with its electricity provider to increase the energy efficiency of its department buildings and community centers to save at least 40% of its propane and electricity usage and costs. The Tribe also has a goal to incorporate solar electric systems on its 490 residential and governmental/departmental buildings and well pumps, and install solar carports where technically feasible and once funding is secured.

For the past two years, through a partnership between the Tribe and its partner, 26 solar electric systems totaling over 87 kW of clean renewable energy have already been installed on Reservation residences. The systems displace 30%–75% of each home’s electricity use while helping the low-income families save on their electricity bills and make ends meet.

The proposed project will continue this very successful model as well as provide more hands-on solar job training to tribal and community members. In 2010–2011, the Tribe conducted a successful training program, with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds, to develop weatherization core competencies and subsequent employment for tribal members.

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 its tribal members and community.

Project goals are to:

1. Install 22 grid-tied, net-metered rooftop solar electric systems on owner-occupied, single-family homes of low-income families living on the Reservation with job trainees
2. Ensure that the new clean energy systems deployed will have at least 58 kW rated capacity
3. Displace at least 60% of total electricity use (or 80,000 kWh/year or 856,000 kBtu).

The solar electric systems, once installed, will produce 80,000 kWh/year, displacing at least 60% of the 22 homes’ total electricity use of 128,785 kWh/year (reduced to 48,785), for a combined savings of about $10,400 annually. These solar systems will also generate approximately $491,785 worth of power for low-income families over their lifespans while eliminating an estimated 1,500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Further, implementing these 22 systems will provide hands-on solar installation training to at least 20 tribal community volunteers and job trainees.

As both a nonprofit technical assistance provider and a licensed solar and electrical contractor, the Tribe’s partner will provide a turnkey approach to project implementation, including: homeowner client outreach and education; system design and engineering; procuring equipment; installing the systems; preparing and submitting rebate and utility interconnection and net-metering paperwork; coordinating third-party inspections; and providing an industry standard 10-year labor warranty for each system. In addition, the Tribe’s partner will integrate hands-on solar job training by utilizing volunteers to install the solar electric systems under the leadership and supervision of the partners’ solar professionals.

After conducting in-depth solar site assessments for each home, the Tribe’s partner will design solar electric systems for each client’s home, accounting for available roof space, historic electricity usage, and a minimum combined electricity displacement of 60% and a minimum combined rated capacity of 58 kW, generating at least 80,000 kWh/ or 856,000 kBtus total. Specific solar equipment and brands selected will depend on availability, price, and the subrecipient’s equipment sponsors.

Solar equipment and construction materials, including solar panels, inverters, and balance-of-systems (BOS) for each solar electric system will be procured through the subrecipient’s network of vendors and equipment sponsors at least three days prior to the scheduled installation.

In coordination with the Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO), tribal community members will serve as volunteer job trainees in the project once plans are in place to install a solar system for a specific low-income client. Each volunteer will attend a mandatory preinstallation volunteer orientation conducted by the sub-recipient’s Workforce Development & Volunteer Coordinator. This orientation will include an introduction to the basics of solar electricity and energy efficiency measures as well as on-site safety protocols. After attending the orientation, volunteers are eligible to sign up to be crew members for any future subrecipient’s solar installations.

Homeowners are encouraged to be involved with the project throughout this process. From the time a homeowners apply for a solar electric system, they will participate in a homeowner orientation and the actual installation, if able. Homeowners are always consulted first when scheduling the installations, and final schedules are based on their availability to give them every opportunity take part in the installation. The community members who participate in the installations will not only develop valuable job skills, but will build renewable energy and energy efficiency knowledge that they can bring back to their homes, communities, and businesses. The volunteers and job trainees become more educated community members and local leaders on issues of renewable energy, environmental justice, and climate change.

Job trainee installations typically take place over the course of one to two days. During the first day, job trainees will participate in a review of safety policies and procedures covered in the volunteer orientation; review site plans for a 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, 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. While the trainees learn, apply, and hone their vendible leadership and technical skills, they also give back to the community and help low-income families lower their electricity bills and obtain substantial and much-needed savings. The low-income homeowner clients also provide direct “sweat equity” by working as part of the installation team or providing lunch for the volunteers.

As part of the project, the Tribe’s partner will work with its network of solar companies in the Inland Empire to help raise awareness about the availability of tribal trainees as they complete the program and companies look for trained workforce for employment. Also, the top-performing trainees will be eligible to be hired by partners’ local solar subcontractors that are charged with installing more solar for the Tribe’s low-income families.

After homeowner clients have received their first new electricity bills incorporating all the energy they have produced with their own solar electric system, the Tribe’s partner provides a follow-up warranty and maintenance training for the families. The training reviews how the solar electric system works and how to measure the amount of clean energy being produced and provides a system owner’s manual so homeowners can reference and share information about their system and its benefits to neighbors and friends. The long-term maintenance of the solar system belongs to the resident living in the home. The only maintenance required by the homeowner is to keep the panels clean and free of shade. The resident is also responsible for letting the Tribe’s partner know if there is a problem with the system.

Verification of system performance will be performed over a 12-month period to demonstrate achievement of clean energy production and energy savings goals.

The 22 homes that will receive solar energy systems are located on the Reservation, located at the foot of the Eastern Sierra Mountains in California. The homes total 31,536 square feet, with a mean of 1,425 square feet per home. The oldest homes were built in the 1970s, and over half were built in the 2000s.

This project is complete. For details, see the final report.

The project was competitively selected under the DOE Office of Indian Energy Tribal Energy Deployment Program's fiscal year 2015 funding opportunity announcement “Deployment of Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects on Indian Lands” (DE-FOA-0001021) and started in August 2015.

The May 2015, December 2016, November 2017, and December 2018 project status reports provide more information.