Summary

A grid-connected renewable hybrid wind/photovoltaic system is supplying power to the community center (the Manzanita Activity Center, or MAC) on the Manzanita Reservation in southern California. The system consists of a 10 kW Bergey wind turbine and a 1.2 kW Siemens photovoltaic array. The project is intended to demonstrate that this kind of system can provide highly reliable renewable power for community uses. According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, the wind turbine is expected to produce 10,000 kilowatt-hours per year, and the solar array 2,000 kilowatt-hours per year. The hybrid system will thus provide approximately 80 percent of the electricity used annually in the MAC building.

Project Description

The Manzanita Band has long recognized that it has abundant wind and solar resources that could be utilized to its benefit, and in 1995 the tribe established the Manzanita Renewable Energy Office. Through the U.S. Department of Energy's Tribal Energy Program the Band received funds to install a hybrid renewable power system to provide electricity to one of the tribal community buildings. The system was designed and equipment supplied by Northern Power Systems, Inc, an engineering company with expertise in hybrid system design and development. Personnel of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory provided technical assistance in system design, and are continuing to provide technical assistance in system monitoring.

During the installation process, tribal members not only gained an awareness of factors related to the use of wind and sun to produce power, but also the practical training needed to install and operate a small commercial system of this type. The hybrid system will be monitored for two years and detailed performance records will be maintained. Tribal technicians will perform the service and maintenance functions. These tasks will include detailed physical and electrical inspections of the system on an ongoing basis.

The Manzanita Renewable Energy Office will coordinate ongoing training needs during the two-year monitoring period, which will include advanced training for tribal members seeking to increase their technical knowledge related to the wind and solar energy industries. Children of neighboring Kumeyaay tribes will be invited to visit the site, to increase their knowledge of, and appreciation for, renewable energy as a clean alternative to fossil-generated electricity.

Project Status

For additional information, contact one of the project contacts.

Project Contact

Barbara Ward or Trisha Frank
Renewable Energy Office
Manzanita Band of Kumeyaay
PO Box 1302
39 Crestwood Road
Boulevard, CA 91905
Telephone: (619) 766-4852
Fax: (619) 766-5952

<p><strong>Tribe/Awardee</strong><br />Manzanita Band of Mission Indians</p><p><strong>Location</strong><br />Boulevard, CA</p><p><strong>Project Title</strong><br />Hybrid Wind/PV System for Community Center</p><p><strong>Type of Application</strong><br />Deployment</p><p><strong>DOE Grant Number</strong><br />DE-FC48-99R810677</p><p><strong>Project Amounts</strong><br />DOE: $269,036<br />Awardee: $67,640<br />Total: $336,676</p><p><strong>Project Status</strong><br />Complete</p><p><strong>Project Period of Performance</strong><br />Start: October 1999<br />End: September 2004</p>