OREGON: Tamástslikt Cultural Institute Installs Wind Turbine
The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, a nonprofit located on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon, installed a new 50 kW Endurance E-3120 wind turbine in March 2014. The system is the first installation of its kind in Oregon and the only wind turbine on a reservation in the Pacific Northwest.
The turbine is the most recent effort by Tamástslikt to create a more sustainable, energy- efficient facility for tribal members and visitors. Over the last decade, these energy-saving efforts have reduced electricity and natural gas usage by 63 percent and 76 percent, respectively—saving nearly $750,000 in energy costs since 2004. Tamástslikt is making steady progress toward its goal to be a net zero facility. Net zero is achieved when energy conservation and on-site renewable energy generation meet a building’s energy needs over one year.
The sleek new turbine is certified by the Small Wind Certification Council and expected to produce more than 94,000 kWh of electricity annually, or about 20 percent of the green building’s already diminished electricity use. The Tribe estimates that this will add up to approximately $480,000 in energy savings over 30 years.
The turbine will be a valuable educational tool for Tamástslikt visitors, especially for the school children who often visit to learn about tribal culture and values. An energy education kiosk, housed in the lobby of the cultural center, will display the turbine’s real-time energy generation.
This unique wind turbine was made possible by an incentive from Energy Trust of Oregon ($170,992) and a funding award from customers of Pacific Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program (up to $257,372). Tamástslikt qualified for project funding because it had a verified wind resource and a positive track record with both Energy Trust and Pacific Power.
Source: Energy Trust of Oregon
