Alaska’s Renewable Energy Resources 

Alaska currently generates about 21% of its electricity from hydropower, much of it from projects in the Southeast Alaska.

Completed Projects

Annex Creek – This 3.6 MW project, operated by Alaska Electric Light and Power, was originally developed in 1915 by the Gastineau Alaska Engineers. It was automated in 1977 and currently provides about 10% of the City and Borough of Juneau’s electrical power needs.

Beaver Falls – This 5.4 MW facility is owned and operated by Ketchikan Public Utilities and provides power to the City of Ketchikan. It consists of three separate generators built between 1947 and 1954.

Black Bear Lake – The Black Bear Lake Hydro project is a 4.5 MW hydroelectric project at Black Bear Lake on Prince of Wales Island, approximately 15 miles NE of Klawock. It supplies power to the communities of Prince of Wales Island and was the first hydro project in Alaska to be certified as low-impact by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. Black Bear Lake was completed in 1995 and cost $10 million to permit and construct.

Blind Slough – Blind Slough is a 2 MW project that has been supplying the City of Petersburg with electrical power since the 1920s. The project is located on Crystal Lake on Mitkof Island approximately 16.5 highway miles south of the City of Petersburg, Alaska. Water used for generation is either used directly by the Crystal Lake Fish Hatchery or is returned to Crystal Creek, which eventually enters Blind Slough. It provides about 20% of the electricity for Petersburg Municipal Light and Power.

Blue Lake – The City of Sitka owns and operates this 6 MW project on Sawmill Creek, which went into operation in 1961. It currently provides about 20% of electrical demand to the City of Sitka. Sitka recently requested a $12.5 million matching grant from the State of Alaska to increase the dam height and add a 3rd powerhouse, which would increase generating capacity to 18 MW. They are currently in the preliminary engineering and licensing phase of the expansion.

Bradley Lake – Bradley Lake, a 126 MW hydroelectric project that serves the Railbelt from Homer to Fairbanks, was constructed by the Alaska Power Authority (AEA) and went into commercial operation in 1991. The project, near Homer, Alaska, is operated by the Homer Electric Association is an impoundment hydroelectric facility with a 125-foot high dam and a 3.5 mile power tunnel. It cost over $300 million ($479 million in 2007 dollars).

Chester Lake – This 1 MW project is owned by Metlakatla Power and Light and provides electricity to the Southeguast village of Metlakatla.

Cooper Lake – Chugach Electric Association owns and operates this 16.7 MW facility on Cooper Lake, Cooper Creek and Kenai Lake near the community of Cooper Landing. It began operation in 1960 and was relicensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2007.

Delta Creek – This 800 kW project supplies 100% of the Aleutian community of King Cove’s electrical needs and lowers the cost of electricity to $0.24 / kWh, the lowest, single-site cost of power among all 160+communities in the State of Alaska’s Power Cost Equalization program.

Dewey Lakes – The 943 kW run-of-the-river Dewey Lakes Hydro Project is located adjacent to downtown Skagway. This project was built in the early 1900′s and has been operated by Alaska Power & Telephone since 1957.

Eklutna – The Elkutna hydroelectric facility, brought online by the federal government in 1955, produces 30 MW of generation capacity. It is currently operated by Anchorage Municipal Light & Power and is the cheapest energy source connected to the Railbelt energy grid.

Falls Creek – This project built by Gustavus Electric Company went was completed in July 2009 and provides Gustavus with .8MW of power.

Goat Lake – The Goat Lake hydroelectric facility is a storage project with a 4 MW capacity that started operations in 1997. The Lake is used as a reservoir without any dam. It was certified as a Low Impact Hydropower project by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute in 2007. Alaska Power & Telephone operates the Goat Lake facility, which provides power to Skagway and Haines.

Gold Creek – Gold Creek Hydropower project, currently operated by Alaska Electric Light and Power, is a 1.6 MW run-of-the-river that was originally constructed in 1914 with 800 kW generating capacity. An additional 800 kW of generating capacity was incorporated in the 1950′s. This project, located in downtown Juneau, produces power seasonally with peak production around May.

Green Lake – This 18.6 MW hydroelectric facility is owned and operated by the City and Borough of Sitka and provides the majority of electric power to Sitka and surrounding areas. It began operation in 1979.

Humpback Creek – This is a 1.3 MW run-of-the-river project roughly 7 miles north of the Cordova boat harbor. It is owned and operated by Cordova Electric Cooperative and was commissioned in 1990.

Kasidaya Creek – This project between Haines and Skagway was constructed by Alaska Power & Telephone Company, and generates between 300 Kw and 3 MW depending on the season.

Ketchikan Lakes – This 4.2 MW project consists of 3 generators built between 1923 and 1957. It is owned and operated by Ketchikan Public Utilities and provides power to the City of Ketchikan.

Lake Dorothy - This 14.3 MW project, located near the Snettisham hydroelectric facilities near Juneau, increased the power supply to Juneau by 20% when it went online in 2009. The hydro project also provides power to Princess Cruise Lines and Greens Creek Mining Company.

Larsen Bay – This 475 kW project provides electricity and city water for the rural community of Larsen Bay and a fish processing plant on Kodiak Island. It went into commercial operation in 1991 and was upgraded in January 2009.

Pelican – This 700 kW hydroelectric facility provides electricity to the Southeast town of Pelican. It began operation in 1988 and was awarded a $2,274,000 grant for upgrades by the Alaska Renewable Energy Fund in 2008.

Petersburg – This 2 MW project is owned by Petersburg Municipal Light and Power and provides electricity to the town of Petersburg in Southeast Alaska.

Power Creek – The Power Creek hydroelectric plant is located 7 miles east of Cordova and has a total installed generating capacity of 6 MW. It is owned by the Cordova Electric Cooperative and provides about 50% of electrical power to the town of Cordova and surrounding areas. It was commissioned in 1997.

Purple Lake – This 3.9 MW project is owned by Metlakatla Light and Power and provides electricity to the city of Metlakatla.

Salmon Creek – The current 6.7 MW impoundment project at Salmon Creek was built in 1984 and is operated by Alaska Electric Light & Power. The lower powerhouse, which remains in operation today, provides over 10% of the electric energy demand to Juneau and its surroundings. A power facility has existed at the site since 1913, with significant upgrades and repairs in 1935 and 1967. The upper powerhouse, rebuilt in 1935 after the original was destroyed by fire, was taken out of commission in 1998.

Silvis Lake – The Silvis Lake Power Plant is a 2.1 MW project built in 1968 by Ketchikan Public Utilities to provide power to the City of Ketchikan.

Snettisham – This 78 MW hydroelectric facility is the largest in Southeast Alaska, providing 80% of the power used by Juneau and Douglas. It was built by the US Corps of Engineers in 1979 and sold to the State of Alaska in 1998. It is currently operated by Alaska Electric Light and Power under a contract with the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. A 44-mile transmission line runs between the dams and Juneau.

Solomon Gulch – The Solomon Gulch Hydroelectric Project is a 12 MW facility serving Valdez and Glennallen. The Project began commercial operation on July 1, 1982. It is owned by The Four Dam Pool Power Agency and is operated and maintained by the Copper Valley Electric Association (CVEA).

South Fork Black Bear – This 2 MW run-of-the-river hydroelectric project was constructed in 2004-2005 to supplement the 4.5 MW Black Bear Lake project, providing a back-up supply of electricity for the communities of Prince of Wales Island. The project was completed by Alaska Power & Telephone, with grant/loan assistance from the Denali Commission and the Alaska Energy Authority.

Swan Lake – This 22.4 MW remote (accessible only by boat or plane) facility is connected to the Ketchikan Public Utilities system via a 30-mile transmission line. It is operated by the Four Dam Pool, a consortium of public and private hydroelectric producers, and sells electricity to the City of Ketchikan. It came online in 1983 and currently operates at near-full capacity.

Tazimina – The project, owned by Iliamna-Newhalen-Nondalton Electric Coopemtive (INNEC), has an installed capacity of 824 kW and is expandable to 1.5 MW. It is a run-of-the-river project that came online in 1998. It is located on the Tazimina River about 12 miles northeast of Iliamna Lake.

Terror Lake – The project is located approximately 25 miles SW of Kodiak City, and it is accessible by Float plane and boat only. The project was placed into service January 1985 and produces up to 20 MW for Kodiak City and surrounding areas. It is owned by the Four Dam Pool Power Agency. Kodiak Electric Association now generates 90% of its electricity with hydropower and windpower produced by turbines installed in 2009 on Pillar Mountain.

Tyee – The Tyee Lake hydroelectric project is located in Southeast Alaska, approximately 40 miles southeast of the City of Wrangell. It generates up to 20 MW of electricity for the cities of Wrangell and Petersburg. It is owned by the Four Dam Pool Power Agency.

Projects Under Construction

Mahoney Lake – The proposed 9.6 MW project will be located in Southeast Alaska approximately five air miles northeast of the city of Ketchikan. The FERC licensing process was completed in 1998.

Reynolds Creek – This 5 MW project will be overseen by the Alaska Energy Authority and the Southeast Conference and will consist of construction a hydroelectric facility on Reynolds Creek on Prince of Wales Island. Along with the hydro facility, a 10.5-mile transmission line will also need to be constructed in order to connect into the existing grid on Prince of Wales Island. This project is ready to be constructed, however was delayed due to loss of funding. Attempts are being made to raise funds so that the project can move forward as fast as possible.

Whitman Lake – The proposed Whitman Lake Hydroelectric Project is located approximately four miles east of Ketchikan. KPU proposes to install 4.6 MW of hydropower generating capacity at the existing Whitman Lake Dam to provide an additional source of clean renewable energy to the city of Ketchikan and the Borough area including Saxman Village. The project received its FERC license in March, 2009 and the project is now in the design permitting process.

Projects Under Consideration

Chakachamna – The Chakachamna hydroelectric project is currently under study by TDX Power. Located on the western side of Cook Inlet, the project would entail a lake tap, 12-mile power tunnel, and a 40-mile transmission line extension to provide 330 MW of energy to the Railbelt grid at 1600 MWh annually. Originally studied by the Alaska Power Authority in the 1980s, the project as currently envisioned would divert water from the Chakachamna River to the McArthur Drainage Basin.

Connelly Lake – The Connelly Lake hydro project, designed by Alaska Power & Telephone, is currently seeking Renewable Energy Grant Fund money to complete a feasibility analysis.  The project facilities would include a dam where Connelly Lake flows into the Chilkoot River, a 6,200-foot-long penstock, a 12 MW powerhouse with two generating units, a 14-mile-long 34.5 kV transmission line, and an access road, all in order to provide addition generation to the interconnected Haines and Skagway electrical systems.  The Haines community is also considering Schubee Lake as a potential hydroelectric source and is hoping to perform a feasibility study there as well.

Susitna – First envisioned in the early 1980′s, the most recently conceived iteration of this project would likely consist of a single, 700-foot dam at Watana, approximately halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks.  The Alaska Energy Authority is now considering this 600 MW project, which could provide up to half of the Alaskan Railbelt’s current electrical generation needs.

Existing systems

Chevak – In summer 2008, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative installed four 100 kW wind turbines in this class 6 wind resource location.

Delta Junction – A 100-kW wind turbine in Delta Junction installed by Alaska Environmental Power came online in October 2008 as the first of Golden Valley Electric Association’s Renewable Resource Purchase Program installations, a program for small renewable energy projects owned by GVEA members that have between 25 kW and 2 MW generating capacity. Units of this size can connect to the distribution system, instead of a transmission system. In 2009, Alaska Environmental Power added a 900-kW turbine for a total of 1 MW and in 2010 announced plans to try to expand to 25 MW by installing 16 GE wind turbines. The turbines are located on a 320-acre site at Mile 1418 of the Alaska Highway, about three miles southeast of Delta Junction.

Fire Island – In late September 2012, the Fire Island Wind project was officially in commission. Built by Cook Inlet Region Inc (CIRI), this 11-turbine project has a 17.6 megawatt generation capacity and is expected to sell more than 50,000 MW-hours to Chugach Electric Association annually. The project will supply four percent of Chugach’s energy needs (enough to power about 4,000 Southcentral homes) and offset up to .5 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas consumption in Southcentral Alaska each year. Fire Island Wind, LLC will build additional project phases if additional buyers agree to purchase wind power. The full project is permitted to include up to 33 turbines with 52.8 MW total generation capacity.

Gambell - Alaska Village Electric Cooperative has installed three 100-kW wind turbines in Gambell.

Hooper Bay – Hooper Bay has three Northwind 100 turbines that were installed in 2009 by the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative.

Kasigluk – Kasigluk installed three Northwind 100-kW turbines in 2006 with a total generating capacity of 300 kW. Wind accounts for roughly 21 percent of total electrical generation. Total wind/diesel generating capacity is 1,624kW. Power is also provided to the community of Nunapitchuk through a distribution intertie.

Kodiak – The Kodiak Electrical Association installed three 1.5 MW turbines at Pillar Mountain in July 2009 at a cost of about $21.4 million. The installation, coupled with a hydro facility, at times allows the utility to provide 100 percent renewable power to its customers. In its first year, the turbines allowed the utility to cut diesel fuel use by 930,000 gallons, a savings of $2.3 million based on a diesel fuel price of $2.50 a gallon. Kodiak is now looking at installing an additional three turbines.

Kokhanok - This 180kW project, which involves two reconditioned V-17 Vestas turbines in class six wind resource locations, was completed in just six months. The system is connected to 336kWh of nominal battery storage, and the excess produced electricity is used to heat the school’s recirculation system. The turbines are integrated with advanced supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), allowing for remote control from Anchorage. A five-year operation, maintenance, and training commitment between Marsh Creek, LLC and the village of Kokhanok ensures long-term success, and the fully operational turbines have already significantly reduced village fuel consumption.

Kotzebue – Boasting the first wind program in the state of Alaska, Kotzebue Electric Cooperative installed three 66-kW turbines in 1997. Another 7 were installed in 1999. Today the Kotzebue’s wind farm has grown to 17 wind turbines and represents the first megawatt of wind power in Alaska. Kotzebue Electric plans to install two 900kW wind turbines and a high storage flow battery in 2012 to maximize use of excess wind energy.  Kotzebue hopes to eventually install a total of 2.4 MW, enough to meet the electric demand of Kotzebue during peak load.

Nome – This 18 turbine wind farm capable of producing 1.2 MW of power came online in early 2009. Bering Straits Native Corp. and area village corporation Sitnasuak Native Corp own the wind farm, which produces about 10% of the electric load for Nome Joint Utilities. Nome Joint Utilities also has plans for a big wind farm that could generate up to 3 MW depending on wind conditions.

Quinhagak – Alaska Village Electric Cooperative iinstalled 3 Northwind 100 turbines in Quinhagak in 2010.

Saint Paul Island – This high-penetration, no-storage, wind-diesel power system was installed by TDX Power and Northern Power Systems in 1998 to run an industrial facility and airport complex on the island of St. Paul in the Bering Sea. The 500 kW wind-diesel cogeneration system cost approximately $1.2 million. According to TDX, the system has eliminated $200,000 per year in utility electric charges and $50,000 per year in diesel heating fuel since it’s installation in 1999.

Savoonga – Savoonga’s two Northwind 100 wind turbines with a generating capacity of 200 kW came online in the fall of 2008 and are operated by Alaska Village Electric Cooperative. Total wind-diesel generating capacity is 1,870 kWh.

Selawik – Selawik, the first integrated wind-diesel facility the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative built, has four AOC 65-kW turbines with a generating capacity of 260 kW combined with a diesel for a total generating capacity of 1,647 kW.

Toksook Bay – The wind-diesel power system at Toksook Bay includes three Northern Power Systems Northwind 100kW turbines, diesel engines, and a computer-controlled resistive heater supplying community heating loads. It serves approximately 1,160 people in the communities of Toksook Bay, Nightmute, and Tununak and offset around 46,000 gallons of diesel in its first year of operation (August 2007 – September 2008), about 22 percent of total consumption.

Unalakleet – Unalakleet installed six 100 kilowatt wind turbines that were commissioned in November 2009. As of November 2010, the system had produced 697,929 kWh of electricity, which is equivalent to $139,585 (based on $.20/kWh) or 53,686 gallons of diesel fuel.

Wales - Wales has two Atlantic Orient Corporation 65-kW turbines that are owned by Kotzebue Electric Association. They aren’t fully operational but have provided valuable information related to wind-diesel integration.

Planned / Under construction

Eva Creek – Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) is moving forward with plans to construct a 24 megawatt wind farm in Eva Creek near Healy. The project would include 16 turbines at 1.5 MW each. This would represent about 20 percent of GVEA’s peak load. They hope to commence construction soon and begin producing power in 2012.

Buckland, Deering and Noorvik – The Northwest Arctic Borough Wind-Diesel program, an AEA Renewable Energy Fund project, will develop the wind energy resources in the communities of Deering, Buckland and Noorvik in Northwest Alaska. WHPacific is providing project management and technical services on the project, and in early 2011 was in the process of doing data collection and feasibility analysis on adding wind to the three communities.

Kipnuk, Kongiganak, Kwigillingok, and Tuntatuliak - The Chaninik Wind Group is working to install 450 kW wind turbines in each of these locations. These high penetration smart grid turbines, which will allow excess wind energy to provide heat for homes, are currently under construction, with commissioning expected in September 2011.

Mekoryuk – Alaska Village Electric Cooperative is building a wind farm in Mekoryuk that is expected to be online in November 2011. The wind project in Mekoryuk, includes two Northwind 100 turbines and average displacement was estimated at 33,000 gallons per year.

Point Pilot – The City of Pilot Point was recently awarded a grant to install a 300KW wind project near Point Pilot.  The project is still in the planning phase.

Shaktoolik - Alaska Village Electric Cooperative is planning to install two Northwind 100 turbine in 2011 in Shaktoolik.

Existing projects

Craig – In 2008, the City of Craig installed a sawmill waste-fired boiler to heat the city pool building, pool water, and school buildings. The boiler will save the city an estimated $120,000 per year annually and displace about 19,000 gallons of oil and 33,000 gallons of propane.

Dot Lake – Dot Lake incorporated a cordwood community heating project to reduce heating fuel costs.

Tanana – In November 2007, Tanana completed the installation of two 1850 gallon hot water boilers, each capable of producing 425,000 Btu/hr, to heat a watershed. The simple payback on the initial system cost of $170,000 will be approximately 6.5 years assuming diesel is at $2 per gallon.

Planned

Fairbanks — In December 2011, Fairbanks biomass generators will be the newest source of power for Golden Valley Electric Association(GVEA).  This project  will provide an estimated 300 kilowatt hours of electricityto GVEA, boosting up to 500 kilowatt hours after the kinks are ironed out.  GVEA’s total customers use about 200 megawatts of power per hour during the winter.

North Pole – In North Pole, Chena Power is developing a 400 kW power plant that will burn 4,300 tons of waste paper and other biomass annually, generating 500KW of power for the Golden Valley Electric Association.  The project has received funding and is currently building and installing equipment.

Yakutat – Yakutat Power Inc. received a grant to perform a feasibility study on the biomass potential in the region.  They are currently experimenting on a test plot to collect data on how much biomass can be grown.  This research should be available by the end of summer 2011.

Existing projects:

Chena Hot Springs Resort -The resort expanded its 400 kW of binary cycle generators, installed in 2006, to 680 kW in 2008. Produced by United Technologies Corporation (UTC) with assistance from state and federal agencies, the generators run on 165°F water, the lowest temperature energy source for an operating geothermal power plant in the world. At 400 kW, the original $2.1 million project displaces 150,000 gallons of diesel annually and saves over $450,000 a year based on $3.00/gallon fuel prices. In addition to the electric power plant, the Chena Resort uses its geothermal resources for outdoor baths, district heating, swimming pool heating, and to provide heat and carbon dioxide to its greenhouses. The site also demonstrates the use of geothermal energy for refrigeration. The resort installed a 16-ton absorption chiller in 2005 to provide chilling to an outdoor ice museum, which is kept frozen year-round. The chiller uses water from a 165°F well as a heat source, and a 40°F creek as a heat sink. Chena continues to research and explore the powerful geothermal resource under the resort.

Manley Hot Springs – Manley, on the Tanana River, has the potential to supply 100% of the power and possibly heat needs of the surrounding community. Dart-AM Farms, LLC is currently using the direct heat from this geothermal source to heat two greenhouses and soil in the field.  In 2011, they also plan to install a water-pumping windmill and to develop a combined heat and power system.  The company has invested in solar, wind, and geothermal power to continue with these projects.

Projects under consideration

Unalaska – The Makushin geothermal resource near the community of Dutch Harbor on Unalaska (Aleutians) is the only proven high temperature geothermal system in Alaska that could be used for power generation. An exploratory drilling program, which took place in the early 1980s and was funded by the Department of Energy, made this determination. The City of Unalaska is planning further drilling in the area in the summer of 2009.

Akutan – The City of Akutan on the Aleutian Chain in 2010 was in the process of drilling two exploration wells in Hot Springs Valley to investigate providing power and heat to the city and a local fish processor.The first well produced water in excess of 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Though early, that result is encouraging for development of a large-scale geothermal power system.

Mt. Spurr – The Mt. Spurr volcano, across Cook Inlet from Anchorage, is a yet unproven resource, but its proximity to Anchorage makes it worth further assessment. Ormat, a geothermal developer and power plant manufacturer, purchased all but one lease section of the volcano for $3.5 million in a competitive bid process.  In 2010, Ormat conducted several pre-drilling surveys such as aeromagnetic testing and ground-based geophysical surveys, as well as drilling two temperature gradient core holes, which yielded encouraging results.  As of summer 2011, Ormat is drilling additional, deeper core holes in attempt to collect additional geological data about the actual geothermal source.  They have projected a six-year best case scenario time line.  If all goes well, Ormat hopes to build a plant by 2016.

There are no utility-scale solar power plants in Alaska. Most solar photovoltaic development is in remote areas with stand-alone grids where the cost of alternative electrical generation is extremely high. Utility-scale solar power plants are uneconomical in Alaska with today’s technology, but numerous small residential and commercial systems exist throughout the state.

Existing projects

Nome – Bering Straits Native Corporation installed a 16.8 kW solar PV array on their office building in March, 2008. The PV array produces about 16,000 kWh of electricity per year, offsetting about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel. BSNC has also installed solar hot water heaters on two corporation-owned apartment buildings.

Lime Village – This 12 kW solar array is currently not operational as of December 2011. It was constructed to offset average electrical prices of $1.26 in the remote town of Lime Village, and is a combination solar-diesel generation system with 77 kW of diesel generation capacity.

Planned projects

Cook Inlet – In 2008, Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC obtained a FERC initial permit and the company is in the process of applying for a pilot project license to begin development of a demonstration tidal project near Fire Island that will connect to the Fire Island intertie. The site could ultimately yield an estimated 17 MW of power, enough to power 17,000 homes.  ORPC intends to install the project in a phased approach with the first devices being deployed in Cook Inlet in 2012.

Gastineau Channel – The FERC permitting process has begun for a demonstration project in Gastineau Channel, which could ultimately provide up to 24 MW of electricity generation to supplement Juneau’s already existing hydropower sources.

Nenana – Ocean Renewable Power Company and Alaska Center for Power and Energy have preliminary permits to establish a hydrokinetic testing site in the Tanana River near Nenana. The site will provide testing grounds for a variety of hydrokinetic devices, with the first scheduled to be in the water by summer 2010. The pilot project license application will be submitted in Fall 2009.

Wave generation technology is relatively new, with the first utility scale project, the Aguçadora Wave Farm in Portugal, coming online in September 2008. Alaska does have potential to become a leader in wave-generation technology, with half of the wave energy potential in the United States.

Projects Under Consideration

Yakutat – Yakutat Power, Inc has completed a feasibility study by the Electric Power Research Institute Inc., which yielded encouraging results. The project will focus on near-shore wave energy conversion and opening an Ocean Energy Research and Development center in Yakutat.  As of 2011, the project remains under development.