Before Arne Jacobson began leading an effort to plan nested microgrids serving three tribal communities in Northern California, the director of the Schatz Energy Research Center understood very well the economic, social and environmental benefits of microgrids in outage-plagued regions.  

Schatz had served as the technical lead for the behind-the-meter Blue Lake Rancheria microgrid, which is located on tribal land and has become a poster child for the benefits microgrids can bring to communities. 

The Blue Lake Rancheria model of inviting in community 

In December 2022, an earthquake struck the Humboldt County region and knocked out power. Blue Lake Rancheria, which had installed its microgrid in 2016, became “an island of electrical activity,” said Jacobson. It provided critical – and potentially lifesaving – support for local residents. 

When the earthquake struck, Blue Lake reserved the ground floor of its hotel for people who needed to charge medical devices such as oxygen machines and insulin pumps. Community members lined up to get gas at Blue Lake’s gas station, purchase ice and use the available Wi-Fi. 

In fact, Blue Lake’s decision to open its doors during emergencies to people who needed to charge medial devices has been credited with saving four lives during outages, said Heidi Moore-Guynup, director of tribal and government affairs for Blue Lake Rancheria. 

Blue Lake, a designated emergency management refuge site, has agreements with the county and the Coast Guard allowing the agencies to create command centers on its property, and it often serves as the staging area for wildland firefighting, said Moore-Guynup.