On March 21, 2014, tribal leaders and community members of the Moapa Band of Paiute in Nevada celebrated the groundbreaking of the 250-megawatt Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project, making it the first utility-scale solar project on tribal land. Tribal leaders balanced the tribe's high energy costs with preserving the Moapa land and cultural heritage.

At the groundbreaking event, Moapa tribal leaders and community members were joined by executives of First Solar, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and numerous dignitaries, including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Set to be fully operational by the end of 2015, the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar project will deliver clean, renewable energy to the City of Los Angeles for 25 years, providing enough energy for more than 93,000 homes.

Tracey LeBeau, director of the Energy Department's Office of Indian Energy, with Moapa tribe Council member Vernon Lee (left), Moapa Chairwoman Aletha Tom (second from the right) and Kathy Weiss of First Solar (right). The Office of Indian Energy provided the tribe with technical assistance on the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project.

In addition to the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project, the Energy Department's Office of Indian Energy worked with the Moapa tribal government and the Department of Agriculture on an on-site, off-grid solar project that will provide all the energy needed to power the Tribe’s travel plaza.