A tribal casino in Oklahoma is installing solar panels that it believes will result in $9m in energy savings over 25 years. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Wichita and Affiliated Tribes are transitioning toward using solar energy to power their casinos in Oklahoma. They are using a grant from the US Department of Energy to install solar panels on top of their parking garage to help run the Sugar Creek Casino and the accompanying Sugar Creek Inn and Suites.

plan is to have the panels completely functional by the summer of 2025

The grant is worth almost $3.8m and the tribe will invest almost $1m of its own money. Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Treasurer Vanessa Vance explained that the plan is to have the panels completely functional by the summer of 2025. The tribe believes it could save $9m in energy costs over the system’s 25-year lifespan.

The system is expected to generate enough electricity to fully run the hotel and approximately 20% of the casino. The project will create seven temporary jobs and three permanent ones. It will be the tribe’s first form of green energy, and it hopes the project will be successful so it can introduce similar changes to other operations.