Warm Springs awarded $1 million grant for renewable energy
Warm Springs awarded $1 million grant for renewable energy
Published 2:46 pm Saturday, February 21, 2026
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has been awarded a $1 million grant to install solar and battery energy storage systems at three housing and community sites on the Warm Springs Reservation.
The competitive grant funding will support a partnership between Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises and the Warm Springs Housing Authority. The project aims to advance tribal goals of energy sovereignty, affordability, equity and resilience, the Tribes announced in a release. Ultimately, the project will lower energy bills for Warm Springs residents and provide more consistent power during outages and emergencies.
Oregon Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Program, which comes from House Bill 2021, will supply the funding.
House Bill 2021 requires reductions in greenhouse emissions for retail electricity providers, and section 29 of the bill outlines the parameters of the grant program. The grant’s purpose is “planning or developing a community renewable energy project” in Oregon.
Solar and battery systems will be installed at Park Place Court Permanent Supportive Housing, including 10 tiny homes and a community services center which provides behavioral health support for formerly unhoused tribal members. Park Place Court was constructed through a $4.1 million grant in 2024.
Systems will also be placed at 24 low-income, single-family homes in the West Hills Affordable Housing neighborhood, and the Greeley Heights Community Center, a gathering place for low-income residents. West Hills was first developed in the 1970s.
In total, the project gives 239,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy to Warm Springs.
“We feel both excited and encouraged to receive this critical funding from the Oregon Department of Energy,” said Cathy Ehli, General Manager of the Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises. “We worked extremely hard to develop an innovative project that will deliver energy cost savings and resilience benefits directly to the Warm Springs community, including previously unhoused Tribal community members. It’s very encouraging to see the State of Oregon supporting energy projects that support rural and Tribal communities.”
All three sites are owned and operated by the Warm Springs Housing Authority and have previously received energy-efficiency upgrades, including weatherization, lighting improvements and heat pump installations.
The Warm Springs Housing Authority provides affordable housing and community spaces for lower-income Tribal members.
“This project is an excellent example of how solar and other energy solutions can make a real impact on both individual community members in their homes and community spaces by lowering energy bills and providing consistent power during outages and other emergencies,” Ehli said in a press release.
Officials said the new systems will build on those upgrades by reducing energy costs, improving reliability during wildfires and extreme weather, and supporting future renewable energy projects.
“We’re excited to partner with (Warm Springs Power and Water) on improving the lives of our community members,” said Danielle Wood, executive director of the Warm Springs Housing Authority. “This project will lower bills and make sure there is reliable power year-round in their homes and important community spaces.”
Out of the 76 applications, Warm Springs was one of 24 recipients of the grant.
“The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs strives to be a leader in Tribal energy sovereignty in the Pacific Northwest and beyond,” Ehli said. “Community-focused energy projects like this one not only benefit the Tribe, but they also serve as examples for other Tribes and rural communities throughout the region.”
The project is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
Previous grants awarded through this fund
Last year, Madras received $1 million in funding from this program for a project to generate 1,837,226 kilowatt-hours in net energy and optimize an unusable body of water at the city’s wastewater treatment facility.
When the invitation to bid on the project began, the project was expected to be completed in May 2026.
Warm Springs also received $1 million that year to install a floating solar photovoltaic system, which converts sunlight directly to electricity. The ultimate goal of that project was to make Indian Head Casino the first tribal casino in the state with a net-zero energy status.
The Madras campus of COCC was also given a grant in 2023.
Madras Pioneer reporter Candice Stilwell contributed to this story.