In 2016, the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians was without power for days following a flood. Located in northern Wisconsin, the tribe was served by a single line of electricity from the power grid.
The loss of power to the reservation, including critical tribal facilities such as their health center, further spurred them to look for ways to prevent future electricity outages. The Tribe’s plan to rebuild factored in:
- Resiliency – they wanted to move away from a single source of power in the utility grid
- Sustainability – they strove to incorporate clean, renewable energy
- Controlling electricity costs – they wanted to have better control of their energy costs
“It was called the 500-year flood,” said Daniel Wiggins, tribal member and project lead. “The flooding event highlighted gaps within our emergency preparedness. So really the tribe went back to the strategic drawing board and said, ‘how can we make these buildings more resilient? And how can we do it using renewable energy?”
At EnTech Solutions, we recognize how critical resilience is, especially when it comes to energy. That’s why we were honored to partner with the Bad River Band to bring their vision of the Ishkonige Nawadide Solar Project to life. The project incorporates solar powered microgrids to provide the energy stability and resiliency they need today, and the ability to grow with them as their energy needs evolve in the future.
We welcome you to learn more about this project in our recent video.
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