Tribal Community Development and Project Development

The Tribal Energy Program sponsors national and regional trainings on tribal community development and energy project development. These workshops are designed to help tribal leaders and staffs understand and capitalize on the range of energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities that exist within their communities.

National Training: Renewable Energy for Tribal Community Development

June 2011
Denver, Colorado

This unique course was designed to help tribal leaders and staffs navigate the complexities of tribally owned energy projects and provide tools for tribal community development. The course focused on:

• Technology 201-level information on each of the renewable energy technologies:
  • solar
  • wind
  • geothermal
  • biomass
  • hydropower
• Energy efficiency and weatherization technology and implementation
• Dialogue with national laboratory and private sector experts on technology status and implementation
• Organizing for tribal community energy sufficiency through education, project development, and networking.

Workshop Overview and Introductions

• Office of Indian Energy Summary of DOE Tribal Energy Summit
  Pilar Thomas

• Energy in a Changing World
  Roger Taylor

• Strategic Energy Planning: Developing a Tribal Road Map

• Project Development and Finance

Demand-Side Resource Options

• Designing Toward Net Zero/Low Energy Buildings
  Jesse Dean

• ENERGY STAR® Residential Lighting
  Patty Crow

• EPA's Wood Smoke Program
  Larry Brockman

• Home Energy Upgrades Project Update
  Dan Beckley

Renewable Energy Options

• Wind Energy: Resource, Technology, Market
  Charles Newcomb

• Introduction to Biomass Energy Technologies and Applications
  Randy Hunsberger

• Biofuels: Current Status and Research Focus
  Kristi Moriarty

• Solar Energy: Capturing and Using Power and Heat from the Sun
  Roger Taylor

Mobilizing Action Through Utilities

• Tribal Utility Formation: Challenges and Opportunities
  Chris Clark-Deschene

• Migraines of Tribal Utility Development
  Raymond Wiseman

The Housing/Energy Nexus

• The Housing/Energy Nexus, Setting the Stage: How Did We Get Where We Are?
  Dean Suagee

• Office of Native American Programs: NAHASDA Overview

• Renewable Energy for Sustainability

• Section 184 Loan Guarantee Program

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard control

• Needs, Opportunities and Challenges of Improving the Energy Efficiency of Existing and Future Tribal Housing
  Jason Adams

• Gathering Place: Multi-Family Straw Bale Construction
  Coeur d'Alene Tribal Housing Authority

• Tribal Housing
  Teri Bahrych

• Interior Regional Housing Authority

• Building Energy Codes: A Significant Tool for Tribal Building Energy Efficiency
  Kevin Kautzky

Regional Trainings

The Tribal Energy Program has also cosponsored several regional trainings on tribal community and project development topics. The course material typically focuses on:

• Determining community energy values and objectives
• Developing the outline of a tribal strategic energy plan
• Exploring how energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies can be used to help meet tribal objectives
• Organizing for tribal community success.

To get a better idea of the material covered in these training courses, take a look at presentations from the following workshops:

• California tribes (January 2008)
• Colorado region (August 2006)
• Oklahoma tribes (September 2007)

For copies of presentations from other regional trainings, please contact our Helpdesk.