Yakama Power looks to alternative energy storage projects

To help it produce all the energy it needs, the Yakama Nation is planning a new sort of battery — using rocks.

The idea is called advanced rail energy storage. It’s similar to other energy storage projects, like pumped storage, which works by spilling water from one reservoir to another through turbines.  But rail energy storage doesn’t use water, something Yakama Nation leaders say is important.

When there’s extra energy on the grid, motors would pull giant rocks similar in size to rail cars up a hill. Then, when more energy is needed, they’d slide downhill on tracks, using the motors to generate energy. 

The Yakama Nation is considering a roughly 500-megawatt advanced rail energy storage project, said Ray Wiseman, general manager of Yakama Power, the tribal-owned power utility. That could power about 50 homes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The work would be completed in phases.

“Gravity is free. It’s out there. It’s a natural resource, just like wind and solar,” Wiseman said.

The tribal council is committed to the project, he said, having designated space in a closed part of the reservation for its development. The only development that can occur in the closed area is to protect cultural resources, he said. However, there are still some feasibility elements to consider.

“Interconnection with the grid is probably going to be one of the bigger hurdles for this project,” he said.

Wiseman presented the idea to Washington’s Pumped Storage Hydropower Siting Study, commissioned by the state Legislature. A final report for the study, which isn’t endorsing any specific project, is due to the legislature by June 30.

He said the Yakama Nation would like to build on an old dumpsite on the reservation – land that’s already degraded and not culturally sacred or environmentally sensitive.

“We could work with what the landscape would give us and not impose a project on the landscape,” Wiseman said.

The Yakama Nation has strongly opposed other energy development by private companies, which they say has been planned without proper input from the nation and would ruin cultural sites. 

Those projects include the Goldendale Energy Storage Project and the Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center. The Goldendale project would use pumped storage hydropower to generate electricity to power about 500,000 homes, according to developers. The Horse Heaven project would be built near the Tri-Cities, with wind turbines, solar arrays and batteries. A bill in the Washington Legislature could require energy projects to secure the approval of affected federally recognized tribes.

Erik Steimle, who is helping develop the Goldendale Energy Storage Project, said in an earlier interview that developers listened to the tribe’s concerns. However, it isn’t as easy as just moving the project to another cliff face. 

“From an engineering standpoint, this is one of the best pumped storage sites in North America. It’s been studied since the 1970s,” Steimle said. “Using the existing infrastructure lowers the cost.”

As the Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center went through its environmental reviews, project spokesman Dave Kobus said the developer was committed to working with local stakeholders “to mitigate impacts and ensure the project is well-positioned as a good community neighbor for many years to come.” 

The Yakama Nation says the Goldendale Energy Storage Project would be built on top of culturally sacred sites and important food gathering areas. With the advanced rail energy storage, Wiseman said, the tracks could avoid sensitive areas, as could the modular design.

“ We’re using previously disturbed areas in order to generate future energy,” he said.

Those include places like former dump sites or existing rock pits. Tribal council members have visited a pilot project being developed at a gravel mine in Nevada, he said.

The tracks can generate energy without a lot of slope, which means they can be built in many places, Wiseman said.

“ The minute you get one track done, you’re producing energy. You don’t have to wait for the entire project to be done in order to start,” he said.