Military Base Off-Taker Opportunities for Tribal Renewable Energy Projects

Abstract

.gov online ordering: www.ntis.gov/ordering.htm energy.gov/indianenergy | indianenergy@hq.doe.gov DOE/IE-0018 • May 2013Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 10% post consumer waste. Military Base Off-taker Opportunities for Tribal Renewable Energy Projectsiii Acknowledgments This white paper is made possible by and at the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs. The analysis was designed and carried out by John Nangle and informed by input from Anthony Lopez and Elizabeth Doris at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Tracey LeBeau and Pilar Thomas at the DOE Office of Indian Energy provided both specific comments and strategic direction. About the DOE Office of Indian EnergyThe U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs was established by Congress to provide Tribes, Alaska Native villages, and eligible tribal entities with technical assistance to promote energy development and energy infrastructure on tribal lands.In direct response to the requests of Tribes and Alaska Natives, the DOE Office of Indian Energy has designed key programs to provide Indian Country with the knowledge needed to make informed energy decisions-decisions with the power to help stabilize energy costs, enhance energy security, strengthen economic development and tribal energy infrastructure, and promote tribal self-determination.By providing reliable, accurate information and expert technical assistance, the DOE Office of Indian Energy empowers Indian Country to make decisions needed to bring about the next generation of energy development on their lands.The office supports those decisions by offering technical support related to technology and project development, financial assistance, and real-time training. It also works to advance tribal visions for a sustainable energy future by promoting four key goal areas: project development, job creation, grid infrastructure, and energy security. This white paper surveys DOD installations that could have an interest in the purchase of energy from renewable energy projects on tribal lands. Tribes, in the right context, could supply local renewable energy to meet military demands, which would provide additional sources of energy to the installations, helping them meet federal requirements for renewable energy purchases and greenhouse gas reduction. Tribal members could benefit from additional income from land leases and energy sales, as well as workforce development and maintaining the renewable energy projects. Identification of likely purchasers of renewable energy is a first step in the energy project development process, and this paper aims to identify likely DOD electricity customers that tribal commercial-scale projects could serve. Military Base Off-taker Opportunities for Tribal Renewable Energy Projects 1This white paper builds on a geospatial analysis completed in November 2012 identifying 53 reservations within 10 miles of military bases (DOE 2...