With support from the Alaska Renewable Energy Fund, strong local leadership, and sustained effort, the Kodiak Electric Association (KEA), a cooperative electric utility, has achieved over 99 percent renewable energy electric generation in the town of Kodiak, Alaska. KEA has developed a renewable energy grid that includes hydro power, wind, and battery storage technologies. The success of the Kodiak project demonstrates both the effectiveness of utility’s vision and management, and the importance of the assistance provided by the Alaska Renewable Development Fund.
Alaska’s Renewable Energy Fund has made it possible for communities and villages across the state of Alaska to study their renewable energy resources, conduct proper engineering designs for those projects that are economically and technically feasible, and construct their projects for the greatest public benefit possible. The Fund, managed by the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), has catalyzed a movement towards renewable energy across the state by funding 277 renewable energy grants, totaling $250 million over the past seven years.
In the case of Kodiak Electric Association (KEA), which serves about 6,400 people on Kodiak Island, prior to the Renewable Energy Fund’s start in 2008, KEA generated approximately 60 percent of its electricity from hydro power and 40 percent from diesel. Through multiple successful applications to the Renewable Energy Fund, KEA was able to conduct feasibility studies, design, permit, and construct two phases of wind development, adding six 1.5MW wind turbines on Pillar Mountain, just above the City of Kodiak during the first phase of this project.
For the hundreds of other non-connected electric utilities in Alaska, this set of KEA’s renewable energy projects demonstrates that the right resources and good utility management can result in a clean energy portfolio with reduced or predictable energy costs.
The AEA and KEA were honored with one of the eight 2014 State Leadership in Clean Energy Awards, an initiative of the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) to highlight exemplary state and municipal programs that advance clean energy markets. CESA will be hosting a webinar featuring the KEA’s Kodiak, Alaska projects on January 23rd.
See Full Story at RenewableEnergyWorld.com
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