Deployment of Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy on Indians Lands – A Community Solar Project
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee, NC (United States)
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI or Tribe) is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located on ancestral homelands in western North Carolina. The Tribe is comprised of just over 16,000 enrolled members, with an estimated 8,000 – 10,000 residing on tribal lands. The Qualla Boundary is comprised of over 56,000 acres of contiguous trust land adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The EBCI also possess an assortment of scattered parcels of varying sizes across western North Carolina, some in trust status and others in deeded or fee simple. This project was implemented on a trust parcel in Cherokee County, NC. The Tribe was awarded the maximum amount of $$\$$ $1,000,000 for the installation of a 705.6 kilowatt (kW) solar PV array to supplement the power consumed and reduce annual utility costs at the Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River (HCVR) casino and hotel in Murphy, NC. The casino is a tribal entity of the Tribe. The total cost of the project was $$\$$ $2.364 million. The system was officially commissioned on April 12, 2019. For the purpose of calculating the amount of power produced and reduction in utility costs, the time frame assessed is May 2019 through April 2020. All power generated was consumed onsite.Based on the first full year of data, the project achieved the estimated 8.3% reduction in utility costs. A total of six casino and tribal staff were trained and received a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certification, giving our staff the resources and skills to manage and operate the solar PV array. Based on the Tribal match of $$\$$ $1,377,797 and estimated net annual benefit of $89,000, the estimated return on investment (ROI) is 15.48 years.
- Research Organization:
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee, NC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Indian Energy Policy & Programs (IE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- IE0000086
- OSTI ID:
- 1768705
- Report Number(s):
- DE-IE0000086
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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