Solar Energy Brings an Optimistic Outcome in Grand Canyon West

As the home of the world-famous Grand Canyon Skywalk, Grand Canyon West (GCW) is the primary economic engine that supports the Hualapai Indian Tribe, attracting more than 1 million tourists annually. To improve the resilience of the remote, “islanded” (non-interconnected) GCW electrical generation system, the Tribe installed a solar photovoltaic array and battery system to enhance the system’s ability to withstand short-term outages and rising energy costs. The solar-plus-storage system is capable of providing 50% of the annual energy needed at GCW to supplement the existing diesel generators and is expected to save the Tribe more than $450,000 per year in energy and maintenance costs.

The system is capable of generating approximately 1,600 megawatt-hours per year, enough electricity to supply 150 average American homes for one year. The cost savings for the Tribe is approximately $450,000 per year, or $11 million over the 25-year life of the system.

Source:

https://www.energy.gov/indianenergy/articles/tribal-energy-snapshot-hualapai-indian-tribe