The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy, the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Tribal Energy Program, and the Western Area Power Administration (Western) will present the next Tribal Renewable Energy Series webinar, Identifying Project Potential and Options, on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mountain time.

Renewable Energy Analyst Travis Lowder from DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory will examine the first two steps of the energy project development framework developed by the DOE Office of Indian Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to help guide Tribes on the path toward successful tribal renewable energy project development. These steps are focused on identifying markets for renewable power, choosing appropriate sites for projects through data collection and analysis, and considering the financial and business implications of various project structures.

Todd Hooks, Economic Development Director for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, will walk attendees through the process his Tribe followed to determine the potential and identify the available options for a community-scale renewable energy project it is pursuing.

Based in the Palm Springs area of Southern California, the Agua Caliente Band is in the initial stages of developing a project that will harness the Tribe’s significant wind and solar resources. With support from DOE, The Tribe developed a strategic energy plan in 2006; assessed the feasibility of solar energy at various locations on the reservation in 2009; and is currently conducting a feasibility study to determine the viability a proposed 10-megawatt (MW) project on the Tribe’s Whitewater Ranch property.

“Stewardship of the land and efficient use of resources in the desert region are critical to continued prosperity of the Tribe for future generations,” said Hooks.

In August 2014, the Tribe installed 60-meter anemometer to gather wind resource data that will document initial resource assessments. The Tribe is also in the process of assessing various technologies to determine best resource for a proposed install of 4MW to 8MW of solar generation.

“The Whitewater Ranch property possesses both strong insolation and excellent wind class resources,” said Hooks, “making the property an ideal location for a combined solar/wind project.”

“Other Tribes can benefit greatly from the Agua Caliente Band’s project development experience and lessons learned, “said Lowder. “During this webinar we will focus on the first two steps of the process, which comprise the preliminary development work that all Tribes can perform to evaluate the economics of hosting renewable energy projects on their land.”

Attendees will have an opportunity to ask the presenters questions during a brief QA session at the end of the webinar. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. Register for the webinar.

See the full list of 2014 tribal renewable energy webinars.