The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians was awarded over $8M through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) to reduce their community’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Tribe plans to achieve this goal by conducting extensive electrification upgrades in Tribal residences, developing new grid-tied residential solar installations and a commercial microgrid at the Tribal Recycling Center, electrifying the Tribal vehicle fleet, and adding vehicle charging infrastructure. Bad River’s project will address many burdens impacting the Tribe through reducing indoor and outdoor air pollution, lowering energy costs and individual energy burden, and enhancing economic resilience related to climate change.
UW–Madison support, via the Clean Energy Community Initiative, will help develop on-site training and certification programs to create accessible pathways to high-quality jobs and careers in renewable energy construction and operations for projects located on the Bad River Reservation and beyond. This assistance will provide professional development and training to build a sustainable workforce for key technologies in the clean energy sector.
Alongside the Tribe’s installation of solar photovoltaics on 85 homes, this project will improve energy efficiency by conducting energy audits at up to 200 Tribal residences and upgrading heating equipment and appliances, including air-sourced heat pumps, induction cooktops, and air-sourced water heaters. Additionally, the Tribe intends to reduce GHG emissions by adding six new electric vehicles to Bad River’s transportation fleet, two 150-kilowatt direct current (DC) fast chargers, and two Level 2 15-kilowatt plugs. To improve local air quality, the Tribe will reduce the use of home heating fuels, such as wood, propane, and natural gas. These collective initiatives will help Bad River achieve their goal of net-zero electricity usage by 2027.
Learn more about Bad River’s EPA CPRG: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/bad-river-band-lake-superior-chippewa-indians