Related Posts for Alaska
June 15, 2011
These GE turbines on Kodiak Island are the same kind that will be used on Fire Island.
Exciting news today about Fire Island Wind Project in Anchorage: Chugach Electric Association is expected to sign a Power Purchase Agreement today to buy power from the project (See story below). This wind power will cost us more in the short term, but over the long term the wind will be cheaper as natural gas prices inevitably rise. Natural gas provides 90% of our electricity in Anchorage, and is already running in short supply. By adding wind power, we stabilize our energy costs over the long term by reducing our reliance on natural gas and because the cost of wind doesn’t vary like natural gas.
Want to know more:
Wind Power in Alaska: Nearly two dozen communities from Kasigluk to Delta Junction to Kodiak are already powering up with wind. Click the link to see Alaska’s other wind projects at a glance. For a quick overview of windpower in Alaska, click here
Unalakleet: Wind power is cranking in Unalakleet. Click the link to see the stats and turbines turning in real time.
Kodiak: Kodiak has the biggest turbines in Alaska. Last year, they produced enough power to save the utility $2.3 million in avoided diesel fuel costs. See the stats on how much power they’ve produced this year.
Cook Inlet Natural Gas Supply Chart: This chart is from a 2010 study done for Enstar, and shows that in 2014, natural gas supplies in Cook Inlet will dip below demand without new, expensive investment. See the full report by Petrotechnical Resources of Alaska.
Fire Island Wind Project Finds a Customer
By Patti Epler of Alaska Dispatch
Anchorage — The proposed Fire Island wind farm in Anchorage is moving closer to reality under a deal with Chugach Electric Association that would lock in the price of power for the next 25 years.
The Chugach board of directors is expected to approve a power purchase agreement at its meeting last Wednesday that would pay Cook Inlet Region Inc., an Alaska Native corporation, 9.7 cents a kilowatt hour for power generated from the project. That’s about twice the cost of natural gas-generated power, but the cost of natural gas is going up, especially for Chugach, which relies heavily on Cook Inlet gas to supply electricity to its customers in Southcentral Alaska.
The board last week approved the terms and conditions for the deal, and was expected to approve the actual agreement this week.
CIRI’s board of directors will meet next week and is also expected to back the agreement, said CIRI spokesman Jim Jager.
It would then go before the Regulatory Commission of Alaska for approval, which might be a bit harder sell since the cost of the power is higher than consumers pay now. But Chris Rose, executive director of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, said the stability of the price over the long term is a strong selling point.
“Over the long term this is a good deal for consumers,” he said. Read more
June 6, 2011
Analysis by Tim Bradner for the Alaska Journal of Commerce: Despite its high costs, renewable energy is a good risk-management strategy for Southcentral Alaska electric utilities, which currently depend heavily on natural gas for power generation. The problem is natural gas reserves are running down, and the only near-term guaranteed fall-back is imported liquefied natural gas.<
It's not a good position to be in.
Renewable energy – wind, hydro and geothermal – can be expensive at the front-end but its key advantage, in the long run is that the fuel is free, Chris Rose, executive director of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, an advocacy group, told the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce April 25.
"Bradley Lake hydro is now the cheapest power in the Railbelt grid but it didn't look that way 20 years ago when the dam was built. At the time it didn't seem to pencil. It was expensive to build and natural gas was still cheap," Rose said.The state and the Railbelt utilities partnered to build the Bradley Lake dam near Homer anyway. Natural gas prices have since doubled from what they were 20 years ago but the cost of Bradley Lake hydro power has been stable and low, Rose said.
It didn't come up in the discussion at the chamber, but Cook Inlet Region Inc.'s planned $160 million Fire Island wind project and CIRI's difficulties in securing power sales agreements with local utilities, was clearly on peoples' minds at the chamber lunch.
Rose said he didn't want to talk about individual projects, but that his message is that the Railbelt needs a diversified basket of renewables to offset its overreliance on fossil fuels. Read more
June 5, 2011
BY ZAZ HOLLANDER of the Alaska Star: Despite some concern among Anchorage Assembly members, plans are moving ahead to spin Anchorage’s garbage gas into electricity. Doyon Utilities LLC wants to provide power to the military base with electricity generated from the methane gas that seeps in large quantities from the Anchorage Regional Landfill just off the Glenn Highway at the Hiland Road exit.
The Anchorage Assembly on May 26 approved spending a $2 million state energy grant on the new gas-to-energy project in a 7-3 decision. The money comes from an Alaska Energy Authority renewable energy grant and can pay only for construction. Doyon will operate the facility and buy the gas produced for the next 20 years under the terms of the agreement with the municipality. The contract also includes two 10-year option periods.
In return, Doyon will compensate the city for the gas it uses. At today’s gas prices, the money coming back to the city could range from $1.3 million to $1.5 million a year, according to the city’s solid waste services director, Mark Madden.
“By taking that huge amount of methane out of our emissions, it’s good for the environment and on top of that we do get a fairly nice benefit of getting electricity out of it – and revenue,” Madden said. “It’s a green project in more ways than one.” Read more
June 1, 2011
By Molly Rettig of the Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Some Interior villages are already sold on biomass. Community leaders shared how they harvest energy from the forests and rivers around them with roughly 200 attendees at the Alaska Wood Energy Conference on Wednesday.
“We are a rural community that wants to promote to other rural communities that this can be done,” Tanana city manager Bear Ketzler said.
The three-day event focused on various fuel types, technologies, environmental impacts and supply issues associated with wood energy.
The Tok School installed a wood chip-fired boiler in November that is fueled by local forest thinning projects and waste wood. Project leaders described the purpose and performance of the 5.5-million BTU steam boiler.
“It’s been pure savings,” said Scott MacManus, executive director for the Alaska Gateway School District.
The system should offset 65,000 gallons of heating fuel per year, saving $268,450. It was inspired by skyrocketing energy costs. The school district was spending $300,000 per year on heat and power and was forced to sacrifice music, art and other elective programs.
“This is why we’re involved in the wood business right now, because we have to do something to maintain the quality of education,” MacManus said. Read more
September 13, 2010
An editorial by CLEM TILLION in the Anchorage Daily News: We Alaskans are a spirited bunch, independent, capable, with plenty of backbone when confronting difficulties. It’s time to show some of that fortitude. We’re facing a fundamental dilemma. Alaska, like the rest of the nation, needs energy. But the fossil fuels we rely on so heavily are becoming scarce, cost too much, and when carbon dioxide emissions get absorbed by the ocean, our fisheries are threatened. Logic dictates earnest investment in Alaska’s renewable resources.
There is a wealth of energy waiting to be tapped by hydroelectric dams, wind farms, tidal generators and solar panels, plus atomic if needed. Not far from Anchorage lies yet another source of unlimited energy — the geothermal potential beneath Mount Spurr. Read more
February 12, 2010
February 23, 2010
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Let’s spread the love!
The Alaskan Chapter of Women of Wind Energy (AKWoWE) is encouraging women throughout Alaska to take part in this growing wind energy field.
This month there will be two AKWoWE sponsored Wind Webinars:
Adult webinar (high-school and above) on February 23rd from 7:00-8:00 pm.
Katherine Keith, ACEP’s Wind Diesel Application Center, will discuss “Wind-Diesel 101″
Youth webinar (middle school and younger) on February 24th from 3:45pm-4:45pm.
Martina Dabo, TDX Power, will discuss “Wind Energy for Kids”
While these events are sponsored by AKWoWE, any participants are welcome: men included!
If you are interested in either of these webinars please fill out this registration form so that information and updates can be sent to you. For more information on Alaska’s Women of Wind Energy please visit AKWoWE.
August 5, 2009
August 12, 2009
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Carol Heyman, Manager Commercial & Community Relations for Chugach Electric Association, Inc., will be speaking on Smart Power and engaging the public in a dialogue on Energy Efficiency, as well as hearing ideas on how Chugach and other utilities should communicate about the possible gas crisis this winter.
A bit about Carol: An Anchorage resident since 1971, Carol develops and maintains communications with Chugach’s largest commercial customers. Working with Chugach engineering and operations staff to assist commercial customers with construction, lighting and energy projects has been the core of her business activity with Chugach Electric. Carol has helped develop Chugach’s web based load management and billing program for large commercial customers. For the past 10 years Carol has coordinated lighting workshops and audits for Chugach. Over the past year her main focus has been helping to develop and establish Smart Power, Chugach’s collaborative energy efficiency program.
Carol stays active in many organizations and serves as a link between Chugach and the Community. She and her husband, Duane, as co-chairs, completed the $19 million capital campaign for the new addition to the Anchorage Museum.
Other activities include the following:
Alaska District Export Council, appointee of the US Secretary of Commerce
Alaska Regional Hospital, Board of Trustees
UAA Small Business Development Center Statewide Advisory Board
Active member, Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA), Anchorage Chamber of Commerce – Camp $tart-Up Committee (ATHENA Society), American Hospital Association, Anchorage Project Access Development Committee
July 20, 2009
Alaska’s six Railbelt utilities are tapping into renewable resources — but a lot of energy is still going to waste because of duplicated services and facilities. So the utilities companies are developing a plan to connect their resources, from Homer to Fairbanks.
The idea is to save energy by sharing energy resources — so Alaska’s utility services could all hook into the same grid. But the six utilities — Municipal Light & Power, Chugach Electric, Golden Valley Electric, Matanuska Electric, Seward and Homer Electric — have six different ideas on how to roll together.
Read More
June 26, 2009
Yesterday, February 17, 2009, the Joint Legislative Budget and Audit Committee of the Alaska State Legislature made history by committing an unprecedented $100 million to the development of renewable energy projects across Alaska. The projects, totaling 77 in all, range from a wind farm in Unalakleet to solar PV construction in Ambler. The recipients come from the Round I applications to the Alaska Renewable Energy Grant Fund, a piece of legislation passed last year to help finance the construction and pre-construction of renewable energy projects across Alaska. Round II applications are currently being vetted by the Alaska Energy Authority. However, the legislature has yet to appropriate the next $50 million for Round II projects.
June 5, 2009
Legislative leaders are asking the federal government how long they have to decide whether to override Gov. Sarah Palin’s veto of $28.56 million in energy aid — and whether an override is worth the trouble if they have to rely on the governor to accept the funds.
An override would require a three-fourths majority of the Legislature, or 45 votes. House Democrats announced they would vote to overturn the governor’s action. Sen. President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, said his bipartisan majority caucus is disappointed in the veto, but he can’t rationalize calling a special session without a guarantee that the Legislature can accept the money without Palin’s OK. Sen. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, said some within his four-person minority are dismayed Palin rejected the funds.
Read more
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