On September 28th, 2024, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe celebrated the completion of a GRID IE installed solar system installation on the roof of their community gym with a ribbon-cutting event.
The extensive 43kW solar system on the gym roof is expected to save the facility $325,000 over its lifetime. It will generate 3.3 million kWh of electricity, equivalent to planting 38,230 trees or removing 550 cars from the road, preventing 2,550 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere!
The gym is one of many vital resources to the local community. However, the energy costs to cool and run the gym in the summer months have been prohibitive—as historically, during the summer months, temperatures are often over 110ºF. The gym's new solar system now allows the Tribe to utilize the facility much more often and to greater effect than ever before.
Tribal Council Member Candice Chandler-Degorio cuts the ribbon. Front row from left to right: Dan Glasow, GRID IE Construction Director, Jaime Alonso, GRID IE Executive Director, Raymond Mejia, Tribal Council Secretary Treasurer, Candice Chandler-Degorio, Council Member, Glenn Lodge Tribal Council Chairman, Susie Hidalgo, Tribal Housing Director, and Butch Ochoa, Tribal Resort Director
Aerial view of the ribbon-cutting and the solar array on the roof of the gym
The Chemehuevi Tribal Council, members of the Chemehuevi Tribe, GRID IE staff, and special guests from the Colorado River Indian Tribes
Tribal Chairman Glenn Lodge led the celebrations inside and outside of the gym, joined by the Tribal Council, members of the Chemehuevi Tribe, GRID IE staff, and special guests from the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
The Chairman spoke of how important and strategic it has been to expand the Tribe's energy resilience program over recent years. Due to their remote location on the shores of Lake Havasu, at the border of California and Arizona, the Tribe has often experienced electricity outages, some lasting many days.
Aerial view of the Chemehuevi gym, facility buildings, and tribal homes, with Lake Havasu in the background
The gym's solar installation is the latest in a series of programs designed to make the Tribe more resilient to outages and decrease its impact on the local environment.
The Chemehuevi Reservation from the air. You can see the Tribes microgrid array left and above the gym
GRID IE has installed solar panels on almost one hundred homes on the reservation. The Tribe also has an additional 90 kW of solar energy via a microgrid and carport solar panels at its community center, all of which were installed by GRID IE.
The microgrid array on the Chemehuevi Reservation
These installations are critical to the Tribe's energy security, providing reduced energy bills for residents and improved energy service reliability for the reservation. The Tribe has plans currently underway to implement many more energy resiliency installations and programs in the near future.
Lisa Castilone with Tribal Chairman Glenn Lodge speaking at the ribbon-cutting
Jaime Alonso speaking to the audience at the ribbon-cutting event
GRID IE is a proud partner of the Chemehuevi Tribe. Jaime Alonso, GRID IE's Executive Director, and Lisa Castilone, GRID IE's Director of Tribal Programs, were in attendance and spoke to the community at the event.
GRID works to help Tribal communities across the United States achieve their renewable energy goals. Using a community-centric approach, we partner with Tribes to identify, develop, finance, and implement solar power projects that meet community needs, including education, hands-on training, and energy cost reductions for Tribal members. Locally sited and controlled renewable energy allows Tribes to take control of their energy resources, keep local dollars in the community, and reap the long-term environmental and economic benefits of their investment. GRID combines training with project development and strategic support to help Tribal governments achieve their vision.
Congratulations to the Chemeheuvi Indian Tribe for completing another vital energy project!