Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria – 2017 Project

Project Overview

Tribe/Awardee
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria

Location
Rohnert Park, CA

Project Title
Graton Renewable Energy Efficiency Network Project (GREEN Project)

Type of Application
Deployment

DOE Grant Number
DE-IE0000088

Project Amounts
DOE: $1,958,857
Awardee: $1,608,906
Total: $3,567,763

Project Status
See project status

Project Period of Performance
Start: September 2017
End: September 2019

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

Summary

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR) and their tribal organization Graton Economic Development Authority (GEDA) through the Graton Renewable Energy Network (GREEN) Project will install 1.5 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) on four tribally owned buildings. This will reduce overall energy usage by an estimated 13%, empower the Tribe and its citizens to become more self-reliant and provide increased opportunities for the Tribe to be successful.

Project Description

Background

The Graton Rancheria is a federally recognized Indian tribe whose federal recognition was restored to the Tribe in December 2000 and is now known as Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. Since then, the Tribe’s government has been focused on restoring its capacity and development programs for 1,378 tribal citizens. The Tribe brought its 254 acres of reservation land into trust in 2010, and through the establishment of the Environmental and Planning Department, the Tribe has developed a strong capacity to support the planning of future development of its reservation, as well as engage in environmental conservation and long-range planning. Sustainable energy provision is a fundamental priority of the Tribe.

In 2012, the FIGR, through the Graton Economic Development Authority Statute, created the Graton Economic Development Authority, whose purpose is exercising the Tribe’s ownership, development, management, operation, and supervision of its gaming business and gaming assets. The Tribe completed energy-efficiency upgrades to the lighting and installed seven electric-vehicle chargers at the casino.

In 2015, GEDA worked with a consultant to perform a Renewable Energy Systems Analysis study. The study analyzed available area for solar installations, the solar resource, the community energy use, and economic factors. The study identified the casino rooftop capacity to hold up to 1.5 MW of solar energy to serve the three buildings and the parking garage.

The GREEN Project continues to support the Tribe’s environmental stewardship goals and previous projects. 

Project Objectives and Scope

The objectives of this project include the reduction of about 13% of the electricity usage in the buildings—saving FIGR roughly $400,000 per year and roughly $10,000,000 over the life of the system—and a reduction of the Tribe’s carbon footprint.

The GREEN Project proposes to achieve the following goals:

  1. Model Tribal Environmental Stewardship. Reduce greenhouse gases, be an environmental stewardship leader, and model environmental and economically sound decision-making and planning.
  2. Create a Sustainable, Renewable Energy Resource for the Tribe. Conduct a successful Request for Proposals process to procure the purchase of solar equipment and the highest level of professional installation for the GREEN solar rooftop project.
  3. Establish Tribal Energy Independence and Energy Choice. Create tribal energy independence by establishing a renewable energy resource and providing increased energy choices.  Provide reliable, clean-energy options and help plan for increased future renewable energy options after documented successes under the GREEN Project.
  4. Provide Tribal Citizen Education in the Energy Sector. Educate and empower tribal leadership, tribal staff, tribal citizens, and surrounding tribes regarding the benefits, process, and installation of renewable solar energy.
  5. Encourage Information Sharing (Intertribal, Multi-Agency and with Project Partners). Institute technical information sharing and public outreach within local tribes, local agencies, and Sonoma State University (SSU) on the benefit and process of installing tribal renewable solar energy at 1.5-MW size. Utilize partners such as the Climate Champion, the Regional Climate Protection Authority, SSU, and 20 tribes in Northern California to increase solar install knowledge, encourage renewable energy education, and share lessons learned.

The GREEN Project will, in turn, support the Tribe’s goals to:

  1. Preserve, promote, and enhance the Tribe’s rich cultural and environmental assets, deep-rooted historical ecology, and Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK). 
  2. Nurture the spirit for tribal citizens through involvement with the FIGR Planning and Environmental Departments.
  3. Strengthen (utilize) partnerships and collaboration to augment grant applications, programs, and projects and to build a sense of community.
  4. Be a leader in environmental sustainability.

The scope of this project includes:

  1. A Request For Proposals process to procure solar equipment and installation;
  2. Project construction install;
  3. Project Education & Outreach Partnerships (FIGR citizen event booth; SSU partnership for outreach material development; Mendocino, Lake, and Sonoma Tribal Environmental Professionals Meeting information-sharing to 20 northern California tribes; Sonoma County Planning Directors Meeting information-sharing to 10 local agencies; DOE Office of Indian Energy workshop in Colorado information-sharing to tribes nationwide; regional media outreach);
  4. Operation and maintenance; and
  5. Reporting.

Project Location

The project site is located in Northern California on 254 acres of tribal trust lands. The exact building rooftop location is 288 Golf Course Drive West, Rohnert Park, California. The proposed GREEN Project will serve three tribal buildings and a parking structure including the Graton Resort and Casino, the hotel, and the convention center. The 1.5-MW solar system will be installed on the casino rooftop and will reduce the three buildings and the parking structure’s energy use by 13% and save approximately $400,000 per year in energy costs.

Project Status

The project is complete. View the final report and project status reports for details. 

The project was competitively selected under the DOE Office of Indian Energy Fiscal Year 2016 funding opportunity announcement “Deployment of Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy on Indian Lands – 2017” (DE-FOA-0001660) and was started in September 2017.

Chairman Sarris with the Tribe’s 1.5-megawatt (MW) solar system.

Solar Array Reflects Restored Tribe's Path to a Brighter Future

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have an economic development strategy rooted in respect and reverence for the natural world. A solar project supported by the Office of Indian Energy is a stepping stone to their clean energy future.
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