The Fond du Lac Band’s Black Bear Casino in Carlton, Minnesota is about to benefit from a new .2 million solar energy source, the One Megawatt solar project. Aside from the casino, the project will deliver savings for nearly 150 homes and other businesses, offering a 20 percent reduction in the carbon footprint within the next four years.
Fond du Lac Tribal Council Chairman Kevin DuPuis said, “We’re using the sun to generate power, and I don’t see how we can go wrong with that. I think it’s the right thing to do, and with all renewable energy and now we are sitting with global warming and the temperatures varying from year to year, this is the right thing to do.”
The solar project helps the Fond du Lac Band reach its goals—set in 2007 by a tribal climate change work group–to identify options for reducing carbon emissions by 2020.
Environmental Program Manager Wayne DuPuis said, “We are here today to celebrate the completion of the One Megawatt solar project that was made possible by the help of Minnesota Power and the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development.”
