In San Diego County, a new solar-and-battery installation on the Mesa Grande Reservation lets three tribal buildings stay open during blackouts.<\/p>\n
On a rural reservation where outages can last for days, the project also helps keep core services running when the power goes out.<\/p>\n
Here’s what to know<\/p>\n
According to Solar Power World<\/a>, the reservation’s first public clean-energy project is complete. The Mesa Grande Band of Diegue\u00f1o Mission Indians and the Solar Electric Light Fund installed solar-plus-storage systems at the Tekamuk, Hallyeyaaw, and Golden Eagle administration buildings.<\/p>\n Annual production is projected at about 60 megawatt-hours, which the tribe expects will lower electricity costs by at least $16,780 each year. The systems were built around the buildings’ existing demand and include room for future growth.<\/p>\n With battery storage, the three administration buildings can keep operating during the frequent outages that affect the local grid.<\/p>\n Adding battery storage is one of the best ways to keep a home powered during an outage. It can also help lower energy costs and give homeowners more independence from the grid.<\/p>\n Homeowners who want to compare home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates, can explore EnergySage<\/a>. EnergySage has teamed up with electrification brand Qmerit to help homeowners get the best price on home battery storage solutions.<\/p>\n More background<\/p>\n Mesa Grande says the three buildings support Tribal government work, housing assistance, educational and cultural programs, and food and emergency-response help for residents.<\/p>\n Although electric service reached the reservation in the 1950s, some households still aren’t connected to the grid and instead rely on small generators.<\/p>\n The installation continues a clean-energy effort the tribe has built for more than two decades, including home solar projects, renewable-power planning, and solar-related workforce training.<\/p>\n The project also fits into the tribe’s effort to strengthen energy sovereignty in a place where dependable power affects essential day-to-day services.<\/p>\n What’s being done?<\/p>\n For the three facilities, Mesa Grande and the nonprofit paired battery backup with solar systems sized for current electricity use, while also allowing for continued operation when grid power fails.<\/p>\n The build also brought four Tribal members with earlier solar-installation training onto the project team.<\/p>\n Pila is another company offering strong battery backup options. Its plug-and-play batteries cost a fraction of a whole-home backup system.<\/p>\n Curtis La Chusa, chairman of the Mesa Grande Tribal Council, said, “Out here, outages can last days at a time. This naturally disrupts the services we can provide to our people.”<\/p>\n Where can I learn more?<\/p>\n Here are a few more stories about how solar and battery systems are helping tribes and homeowners keep the power on when the grid goes down.<\/p>\n \u2022 In Arizona, the Hopi Tribe saw plans to access electricity<\/a> jeopardized by a funding cut.<\/p>\n \u2022 In California, one homeowner found that solar kept his lights on<\/a> after a neighborhood blackout.<\/p>\n \u2022 In Colorado, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe plans a major solar farm<\/a> for long-term revenue.<\/p>\n \u2022 After a hurricane, one homeowner said solar panels kept lights on<\/a> when neighbors lost power.<\/p>\n \u2022 In Florida, Babcock Ranch didn’t lose power<\/a> during a Category 4 hurricane.<\/p>\n Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In San Diego County, a new solar-and-battery installation on the Mesa Grande Reservation lets three tribal buildings stay…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-508512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/508513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}