June 21, 2011
It’s true. Read this report from Rich Seifert of the University of Alaska’s Cooperative Extension Service on three beautiful and fascinating homes in Fairbanks that are using masonry stoves, extra insulation, passive design and more techniques to reduce their energy use. There’s lots to read here and great pictures.
Download the report here (.pdf)
October 1, 2009
There may be few better places to test energy-efficient home building than in Anaktuvuk Pass, which lies above the Arctic Circle and is known for its cold temperatures. The average temperature in January is minus 14 degrees. Now more villages may be following Anaktuvuk’s lead, according to this story by Alex Demarban of Alaska Newspapers which talks about a super efficient home recently built in Anaktuvuk and and plans for an upcoming housing design forum in Point Lay that will be hosted by the Cold Climate Housing Research Center. Read more
ADN reporter Kyle Hopkins also wrote about problems with housing in Quinhagak on his The Village blog with this link to some pictures of the Anaktuvuk home.
September 18, 2009
Vermont Public Radio talked with Vermont Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie and Alaska Village Electric Cooperative President Meera Kohler about a trip this week to tour wind projects at Gambell and Unalakleet. REAP Executive Director Chris Rose also toured the sites. In the public radio interview, Kohler notes the high cost of energy in Alaska is one of the driving forces behind wind projects here.
Northern Power Systems wind turbines under assembly in Unalakleet
Consumers in the villages are paying, on average, 62 cents per kilowatt hour – that’s roughly 6 times what Vermonters pay. She says the turbines can cut these costs by at least 20%. “Our villages are very, very small – the average population is about 400 – and they’re completely reliant on diesel for electrical generation. So as a result, if you can imagine when the cost of diesel spiked the cost of electricity went right along with it…so it’s really a huge economic burden to be reliant upon diesel.”
Alaska Dispatch’s Rena Delbridge and the Rutland Herald in Vermont also carried reports on the trip.
August 31, 2009
The Denali Education Center unveiled its new solar water heating system this week. The system includes 1,300 square feet of flat-panel thermal collectors and is expected to save up to $9,000 a year in energy costs. Congrats to REAP members ABS Alaskan Inc., which did the design and installation, and to Golden Valley Electric Association which owns the system. The Anchorage Daily News and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner were among those carrying stories on the new system. The Denali Education Center also has information about the project on its website.
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.
April 13, 2009
Alaska’s largest conservation coalition is now on record supporting a hydro project and a gasline routing option through Denali National Park. “This is all part of recognizing how we get to 50% renewable energy by 2025 and relying on natural gas as the ‘bridge’ fuel”, notes Kate Troll, Executive Director of Alaska Conservation Alliance (ACA).
Continue reading ‘Conservation Groups Walking the Talk on Energy’
