Blue Lake Rancheria is a Native American reservation in Humboldt County, Calif. It sits just under 80 miles south of the Oregon border and 230 miles north of San Francisco. However, thanks to a nearby university and some help from Siemens, this otherwise remote location is about to be introduced to the latest microgrid technology.
The reservation, Siemens and Humboldt State University’s Schatz Energy Research Center have joined forces to build a low-carbon community microgrid at Blue Lake. This microgrid will provide power to “government offices, economic enterprises, and critical Red Cross safety shelter-in-place facilities across 100 acres,” according to a press release.
A $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge program will partially fund the endeavor.
A 0.5-megawatt (MW) solar-photovoltaic installation, 950 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery-storage system, a biomass fuel cell system, and diesel generators will all power the microgrid. The Siemens Spectrum Power Microgrid Management System (SP MGMS) software used to manage and control these resources is “operator-free,” meaning it does not require constant monitoring.
“The project shows the type of leadership and partnership that can advance California’s climate and renewable-energy goals, help transform our energy system and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions,” said Karen Douglas, California Energy commissioner. “Having a microgrid at Blue Lake Rancheria—an American Red Cross Disaster Center and federally recognized Native American Tribe—can increase public safety in emergency situations, and the Rancheria will benefit from it year-round by having renewable energy to use and technology that can store it.”
“When the tribe started working on climate issues, it had a vision of powering the Rancheria with renewable resources,” said Jana Ganion, Rancheria energy director. “With this project, that vision is largely realized.”
The microgrid is planned to be operational by fall 2016 and is estimated to reduce 150 tons of carbon annually.
About The Author
Matthew Kraus was formerly the director of communications at NECA and senior editor of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR for five years. He can be reached at [email protected].
