Small California Indian tribe goes off-grid with mini-grid including UCO biodiesel

In California, the Washington Post newspaper reports that used cooking oil from the Blue Lake Rancheria Indian tribe’s hotel and casino is used for biodiesel production, part of the tribe’s wider strategy to create a mini-grid that insulates it from fire-related power shut offs across Northern California. Similar to Australia, the state has suffered from significant fires over the past two years which have led to power cuts as utilities attempt to deal with fire risk but it leaves millions in the dark. Not this small Indian tribe, however, who are relying on a mix of renewables, including biofuels.