• About the Guide
• Development Process
  • Energy Planning
    • Vision Statement
    • Champions
    • Energy Needs
    • Energy Resources
    • Preliminary Choices
    • Setting Priorities
    • Writing the Strategic Plan
  • Evaluating Options
  • Organizational Development
  • Project Development
• Assessing Energy Resources
• Energy Technology Basics
• Electricity Grid Basics
• Costs
• Project Implementation Issues
• Case Studies
• Glossary

Strategic Energy Planning

This section provides an overview of the strategic energy planning process.

The first step in understanding your energy journey is to envision your destination. Where is it you want to go? What does that place look like? At the same time, take stock of where you are now, to better understand the resources you will need to get to your destination. The difference between these two points, where you are, and where you want to be, defines the work that needs to be done. Energy strategic planning can be a relatively straightforward process, as demonstrated below. However, the work needed to complete a plan may be considerable.

To continue, select a step in the strategic planning process or print the complete process:

• Vision statement: Where do you want to end up?

• Champions: Who's going to lead the charge?

• Energy needs and forecasts: Defining the problem.

• Energy resource options: Energy supplies available on and off the reservation.

• Preliminary choices: Choosing your tribe's best options.

• Setting priorities: Identifying your tribe's priorities.

• Writing the strategic plan: Putting it all together.

Another useful resource is Energy Planning: A Guide for Northwest Indian Tribes, published by Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (Northwest SEED) and available on their Publications Web page. The report contains information and resources to help select and implement projects to conserve energy, generate clean renewable energy, construct efficient and environmentally friendly buildings, and other energy-related community or business projects. Most of the content is useful to tribes outside the Northwest.