Wind powers ‘Voice of Lakota' radio station

A crane places blades atop the KILI wind turbine. The station will use the electricity and sell the excess generation to its utility, LaCreek Rural Electric Cooperative. (Photo by Intertribal Council on Utility Policy)

The nation's largest Native American radio station, KILI-FM, celebrated its 25th anniversary by achieving a long-held dream—switching to clean, all-natural electricity provided by its own wind turbine.

"The Voice of the Lakota Nation" dedicated the 65-kW turbine at a gifting ceremony on July 31, Lakota Victory Day. A solar panel the station previously installed powered the celebration and underscored the message that KILI has entered a new era of "green" energy. "We see the KILI wind turbine as a flagship project, a springboard for a broad, tribal renewable energy initiative," said Winona LaDuke, executive director of the non-profit Honor the Earth.

LaDuke was among the tribe members and state and national officials who attended the ceremony. Honor the Earth, which supports environmental activism and sustainability in Native communities, collaborated with the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy (Intertribal COUP) to develop the project. Intertribal COUP is a consortium of ten Northern Plains tribes dedicated to the sustainable development of renewable resources on tribal lands.

The Nordtank turbine is expected to generate 92 kilowatt-hours (kWh), cutting the station's annual electric bills of about $18,000 by as much as two thirds. "KILI is one of the biggest electricity consumers on the reservation," noted Robert Gough, secretary of Intertribal COUP.

Located just south of the radio station on Porcupine Butte, the 72-foot tower is interconnected to the LaCreek Rural Electric Cooperative. South Dakota has no net-metering rules, so the station will use the electricity and sell any surplus power to the co-op.

Support from many quarters

Although the idea of powering the station with renewable energy dates back to its founding, the first step toward development happened six years ago. Western and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) loaned an anemometer to Intertribal COUP through Wind Powering America's Anemometer Loan Program. The anemometer was placed just below Porcupine Butte where data showed a monthly mean wind speed of 13 miles per hour, or class four.

With the promising data in hand, the next step was to secure funding for the $120,000 cost of the project. Honor The Earth and Intertribal COUP coordinated fundraising efforts from a variety of donors, including NativeEnergy, which supplied critical financing for construction and insurance, and to help with long-term operation and maintenance. Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Oglala Lakota College and Lakota Action Network also contributed funding, technical assistance and in-kind donations to the project.

Two significant grants came from the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) — $43,000 toward hardware and installation, and another $50,000 for training. Established by the Department of the Interior, IEED aims to create jobs, Indian-owned businesses and a trained workforce by developing Indian energy and mineral resources. South Dakota, rich in wind resources and home to the Rosebud wind turbine, serves as sort of an incubator for the IEED, Gough said. KILI's wind project fits perfectly with IEED goals, especially given that the station is an economic hub for both the Pine Ridge and neighboring Rosebud Sioux reservations.

Training, job opportunities

The IEED training grant funded an intensive technical workshop presented by Intertribal COUP in cooperation with Sinte Gleska University on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Members from the Rosebud, Pine Ridge, Lower Brule, Cheyenne River, Flandreau and other tribes signed up to learn wind basics. "We planned to offer the program to only 35 to 40 people," recalled Gough. "But there was so much interest, we got extra funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. About 60 or 70 people ended up attending training."

The training covered site selection, the development process, construction and interconnection, with a particular focus on foundation building. "Foundation building is a good entry level job for which the skills already exist on the reservation," said Gough.

In Indian country, where unemployment runs 50 percent or higher, the jobs renewable energy projects generate are almost as important as the electricity. The European Union estimates that every megawatt of wind production creates 2.77 jobs. Solar generation provides 7.24 jobs per MW, and geothermal 5.67 jobs. With an estimated wind energy potential of more than 300 MW on Great Plains reservations, it is no wonder tribes are taking such an interest in development.

Trainees got hands-on experience working with the developers of the Rosebud turbine, and with the sub-contractors on the KILI project. The Rosebud Sioux plan to leverage their experience with the turbine—the nation's first tribal-owned and operated project—to develop a 30- to 60-MW wind project, said Gough. The IEED training offered a good opportunity to acquaint tribal members with the skills and job requirements needed to build and maintain such a facility.

Single turbine as challenging as wind farm

The single KILI-FM turbine will provide only two jobs initially, one of several drawbacks that accompany small-scale wind development. "You don't get the economy of scale that comes with a large wind farm," explained Gough. "But we still had to go through all the tribal development issues—permitting, land leases, taxes and ordinances. It's not just digging a hole and setting a machine."

Every wind development, large or small, must navigate obstacles in the form of money and logistics, and the KILI project was no different. Budgetary wrangling in Washington held up the DOI grants for a time. The South Dakota contractor that had worked on the Rosebud project didn't have a turbine available, so Intertribal COUP found a contractor in Montana. Bringing in the out-of-state construction crew meant paying for travel expenses and juggling schedules. When the first transformer malfunctioned, commissioning had to be postponed while the contractor ordered a new one and the crew returned to the reservation.

Wind developers learn to be flexible—not only to deal with setbacks, but to seize opportunities, too. During the testing phase, the anemometer couldn't be placed exactly on the planned site for the turbine because there wasn't room for the guide wires to support the tower.  The turbine didn't need guide wires, however, so it was built 20 meters higher up the butte. "In effect, it gave us a 40-meter tower," said Gough.

In that spot, with a full and open exposure to the east, south, west and northwest, Gough anticipates higher wind speeds. "Based on the direction of the resources the anemometer measured, we'll probably get three to four miles per hour more," he said. "It's important for people to realize that even one or two miles per hour more can make a big difference in generation."

That extra generation will help to deliver a vital source of information to the reservation community. In a region where cable television and internet connections are rare, listeners rely on KILI-FM for entertainment, updates from the local health clinic and high schools, tribal council meetings and public hearings with Lakota interpreters. The station also broadcasts a national call-in show on Native issues. And now sponsored by clean, renewable energy.

Resources

KILI-FM

Honor the Earth.

Intertribal Council on Utility Policy

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Anemometer Loan Program

NativeEnergy

Midwest Renewable Energy Association

Oglala Lakota College

Sinte Gleska University

People

Robert Gough

Related articles

Energy Services Bulletin, October 2003
Rosebud turbine leads way for development of Native wind resources

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