With giant wind turbines in the background, energy field trip participants included Susan Jenkins (CPFdn), Kathy Dugan (Cherokee Reservation Cooperative Extension), Charlene Toineeta (Division of Housing and Community Development), Ethan Clapsaddle and Ashleigh Brown (CPFdn), Joella Jackson (EBCI Office of Environment and Natural Resources), and Bobby Raines (CPFdn).

Cherokee Preservation Foundation recently organized a field trip so tribal leaders and others from the region could visit a wind generation facility and highly energy efficient homes as they gather potential ideas about renewable energy and how to dramatically reduce energy costs.

21st Century Windmills

The first stop was TVA’s Buffalo Mountain Wind Park in Oliver Springs, TN, where 15 giant wind turbines reach up to 265 feet into the sky with their 135-foot blades. Along with three smaller turbines, the wind they catch generates enough power to serve approximately 4,500 households. The wind-generated electricity is part of a clean energy option called Green Power Switch in which consumers can elect to buy clean energy from distributors of TVA power for a little more than conventionally produced power.

Energy is generated when the wind speed reaches about 10 miles per hour, and a speed of 25 miles per hour allows the turbines to generate at full capacity.

“ The turbines are beautiful, graceful and quiet,” said Rick Carson, who manages the TVA wind farm. “There are no emissions associated with wind power, plus it is renewable and it can be compatible with current land uses.”

Carson said the swishing sound of the blades, which are made from a material similar to fiberglass, is masked completely by wind noise in the leaves of trees and shrubs at a distance of about 650 feet. Each of the 18 wind turbines on Buffalo Mountain costs about $2 million and pays for itself in approximately 13 years. Each will last approximately 20 years.

In May 2007, TVA announced that the Buffalo Mountain Wind Park had produced 30 months of pollution-free energy for Tennessee. Had the 133 million kilowatt hours produced by the wind turbines come from the traditional fuel mix used in the state, approximately 170 million pounds of carbon dioxide would have been generated.

Joella Jackson of the EBCI Environmental Department went on the tour so she could see the wind park. Her intention now is to review a survey Appalachian State University conducted several years ago for the Tribe to identify several locations that would be appropriate for a wind park.

Near-Zero Energy Houses

The next stop on the tour was a community in Lenoir City, TN, that includes five near-zero energy homes — houses that produce about as much energy as they use. TVA, the Habitat for Humanity, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy have teamed up to build five 1,000 to 2,600 square foot all-electric bungalows that generate electric bills averaging only $25 per month. The most efficient of the homes is using only 41 cents of TVA’s electricity per day.

The extraordinary savings are due to a combination of high-performance energy saving technologies affecting lighting, insulation, ventilation, windows and roofing, as well as designs based on sound building principles and the ability of the homes to produce more energy than needed so the owners can sell the extra back to TVA. Significant savings are derived from simple actions such as swapping out incandescent bulbs for much more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, Energy Star appliances and high-performance windows.

Solar photovoltaic modules and solar hot water heater collectors mounted on the roofs allow solar credits to accumulate. When a new Habitat for Humanity homeowner saw her first electricity bill showing a credit of $35, she said, “We got paid! It’s like we’re our own little power plant.” She had previously been paying $200 per month for electricity in an apartment.

Cindi Foster, Secretary for the Home Improvement Program (HIP) that builds homes for the Tribe’s elderly and disabled members, was impressed with the zero-energy homes, including a system in the homes that keeps bringing fresh air into the homes and eliminates the potential for mold problems. “We could really help our elders save energy and have healthy homes with some of the methods used in these houses,” she said.

Could the Eastern Band Become a Green Power Nation?

“ Part of Cherokee Preservation Foundation’s mission is to help the Eastern Band protect and renew the Qualla Boundary and other tribal land,” said Susan Jenkins, executive director of CPFdn. “We undertook this exploratory trip to convene tribal leaders with common interests and complementary skills and give them the opportunity to see firsthand exciting efforts underway to produce clean energy and drastically minimize energy consumption.

“ We also wanted to educate the CPFdn staff about alternative energy sources, environmental responsibility and what it would take if the Eastern Band wanted to create its own clean, sustainable energy supply and dramatically reduce tribal members’ utility bills. Should strong local ideas and partnerships take root as a result of this and future energy field trips, we will be delighted to be a partner and provide financial and other assistance.”

Trip participants beyond the CPFdn staff included Frank Cooper and Cindi Foster from Cherokee Boys Club; Joella Jackson from the EBCI Office of Environment and Natural Resources; Charlene Toineeta from the Division of Housing and Community Development; Kathy Dugan and Tammara Cole from Cherokee Reservation Cooperative Extension; Maggie Carnevale and Nicole Rittenhour from Padgett and Freeman Architects, the firm that is designing the new Cherokee schools; Lisa Montelongo and Carlos Canales from Shelter of Safety; David Cozzo and Shirl Sazynski from Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources; and Brenda Oocumma and Brenda Grady, members of the local community.