Alternative Energy through homemade Wind Turbines
First People’s Conservation Council, in partnership with the Lowlander Center, April 2018
The most at-risk people of the Louisiana coast are traditional fishing communities who are facing a multitude of challenges due to impacts of climate and severe land-loss, complicated by prejudice and by historical political structures of violence and exclusion. The communities are continuing to build and expand political capacity while also working on the layers of diverse issues enmeshed in everyday life. We have found it useful to engage in work that weaves itself through multiple issues thus lessening the burden of working in silos. To identify and prioritize work and projects is not always self-evident in that funding, timing, seasonal conditions and people’s availability all has to be taken into consideration. It is difficult to address one issue without understanding its context and interconnectedness to all the others. In the grassroots activism of this collective of communities and friends, energy and water are core issues common to each.
Electrical power, potable water and oil/fuel are contentious issues for the lower bayou communities of coastal Louisiana. The communities that are impacted by oil are also complexly involved with the economy of oil, from extraction to its refining. Subsistence living offered by the richness of land and the generous bounty of the waters are being hindered by rapidly disappearing lands and changes of water dynamics. Water that was once fresh and used for personal and agricultural uses is now brackish and turning to salt water at an increasingly fast rate. This changes the estuaries, it diminishes the agricultural possibilities and it makes drinkable water in short supply. These changes also place entire communities at grave risk of storms, lack of energy and transitioning from food abundance to being a food desert.
All of these issues are interrelated, historically and socially intertwined. Once oil and gas became part of the massive industrial complex of the region, local historied and Tribal communities and their lifeways became sacrificial. For years community members have been part of the oil industry in many professional roles, be it piloting boats to safety officers on the rigs, so that they could maintain and continue their ability to have their communities together and practice traditional ways.
Having access to energy for homes- for ice for fishing boats (oysters, shrimp, crabs) and for storage of catch is necessary. As storms disrupt the energy supply to the lower bayou communities, power outages become more frequent and for longer extended periods of time. Companies that supply energy to the region are responding to the difficult situation by either not restoring some of their services or placing a burdensome surcharge on each household/business.
The complexity of interdependence and the impact of the industry on the lifeways of the Tribes and historied communities takes a multidimensional problem solving approach. Thus while Tribes are looking at creative ways of food production and soil abatement, the Tribes are also strengthening culture, discussing adaptation to climate and utilizing traditional knowledges to co-manage their living environment. Alternative energy sources are one key element that can help keep the some sense of stability for the communities.
For many years several of the coastal Tribes have talked about energy independence and sought ways to achieve such status. Minor projects have been undertaken, solar packs for communication, solar for some homes. It is important that the alternatives to energy are affordable, easy to operate and are location appropriate. The most recent exploration on energy independence has been wind energy through the development of wind turbines. The wind turbine project provides an affordable source and reproducible by community members.
Recently a group of 6 people from 3 Coastal Tribes traveled to North Carolina to be part of a wind turbine workshop. The goal was to build a wind turbine that will be placed at the greenhouse and Pointe au Chien Tribal center. The process is as important as the outcome. Each member of the team learned skills needed to produce the turbine thus having working knowledge to replicate their creation. Handy Village Institute was the host for the workshop. The goal of our coastal communities is to host the next workshop in Louisiana so that more people from the Tribes can learn how to build a turbine, thus creating more turbines, more energy sustainability for the coastal communities.
As each community begins to build out additional turbines, each community will become its own hub for energy, knowing how to create it, repair it, and rebuild it. This will be a vital component for each communities’ ability to adapt to land loss. It will help as well to prevent loss of power as a result of increased storms and regional commercial power outages. To have one’s own source of power is to help prevent loss of seafood, and maintain and reinvigorate lifeways. Plans are also in place to have a bio-diesel converter built at Point au Chien for the use of the diesel fishing boats.
The more independent the Tribes can be from energy and commercial resources, the more choices Tribes will have in deciding their adaptation strategies for their own futures. The following are testimonials from the April 2018 training week-long workshop.
- I recently had the privilege to attend a Wind Turbine making workshop for our Tribe. WOW! The technology is amazing and exactly what our community needs. The ability to be self-reliant again is amazing. Our community has been devastated by repeat hurricanes and other environmental issues. These issues often cause interruptions in utility service. The wind turbine technology could give our Tribal homes a way to function without relying on the power companies. It is extremely important for this technology to be explored and put into practice for our tribe.
- My experience at the Handy Village Institution was truly amazing. Going into the week, I knew that I would be helping to create a wind turbine and learn more about wind energy, I was not expecting to be so involved in the process. Not only did I learn the difference between Solar v’s Wind Energy, the cons and pros, the cost of wind energy and how it could benefit the community but also how to use power tools. From learning, creating, and meeting new people, my experience was truly amazing. “ I can’t wait to see the turbine set up and producing energy.”
- I’m so glad I was able to participate in this workshop and learn more about wind power! I absolutely loved how hands on it was and how the instructors broke down each and every step to explain how it all works. Attending this workshop has also made me more comfortable using power tools and knowing that I had a part in each step of the building process of the turbine is very rewarding. I look forward to sharing everything I’ve learned with others and taking the next steps to being self-sufficient. I’d highly recommend this workshop and love to attend again next year.
- Was very hesitate in taking the trip to North Carolina, but happy I did. It was fun and educational. People were great to work with. Being able to say I helped build our wind turbine makes me feel good and proud. Never thought I would have had a hand in building a wind turbine. I am very thankful to the ones who afforded me to go. Really enjoyed the trip and enjoyed the ones I traveled with.
- I have had a wonderful and new experience working with the Handy Village Institute. I arrived their with no knowledge of Wind Turbine, how it functioned, more or less building one from scratch. The instructors were very helpful and patience. The workshop was all about safety first and foremost. I can truly say that this is something that should be taught to the young and old. I love the clean energy. I think it is vital to our health and to our planet to our families and future generations to come. I strongly suggest that this is something that should be taught in our schools and to our children. When I go through my pictures that I took of the assembly on the wind turbine I feel some satisfaction and a little pride because my hands were part of the production. I want to thank you for allowing me to attend and to have had the unforgettable experience.
Workshop cost for producing the first turbine for Pointe au Chien Tribe:
6 attendees for one week in North Carolina: $7600.00 including the finished turbine
We are proposing that the next workshop be held in Louisiana. Our goal is to have people trained in each of 6 Tribal communities, able to build and repair their own turbines. Each community will be able to operate their own off the grid power source that will help with stability during storms etc. Eventually this ‘homegrown energy source could build into localized energy cooperatives and small business ventures for each of the Tribal communities offering them not only energy but also a small source of revenues. After the initial Louisiana workshop, the communities can start production with the knowledge accrued and create a small production process for their own communities. Equipment and supplies may have to be secured for some of the communities to have a ‘working’ workshop with all the proper safety equipment and tools.