The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s Black Bear Casino in Carlton, Minnesota will receive 10 percent of its electric power from the tribe’s recently opened solar farm. The 1-megawatt solar array, which also will power 150 area homes, will lower carbon dioxide emissions by about 2.6 million pounds a year versus coal-generated electricity.
The $2.2 million project was built over five acres of a reclaimed gravel pit near the casino. Currently it’s the largest solar array in Minnesota Power’s Duluth-based utility service area. The tribe financed the project through a July 2014 settlement agreement between Minnesota Power and federal regulators. Minnesota Power was fined $.4 million for alleged pollution-control violations and also agreed to pay $4.2 million for conservation and clean-energy projects, which included the Fond du Lac solar farm. The utility company has contested the allegations.
The Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee is four years ahead of its carbon reduction goals, having pledged to raise 20 percent of its electricity use from renewable energy sources by 2020. The tribe also has installed energy efficient LED lighting in several buildings.
The tribe also is considering other energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including commercial wind power and a hydroelectric effort. In addition to gaming and energy businesses, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa owns operations in education, insurance, construction, logging, gas, grocery, radio, social services and more.
