From: http://www.innovations.harvard.edu
Published January 30, 2009 09:07 AM
State plan to build wind farms brings hope; Villagers say
proposal could ease runaway energy bills
In the coastal tundra village of Kongiganak, some residents are keeping
their lights on this winter by promising to sign over future tax refunds.
But the persistent Bering Sea winds that drive up the cost of light and heat
in impoverished Western Alaska are now bringing a promise of redemption as
well.
Last week the state proposed spending $14 million to erect wind farms in six
villages on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, including Kongiganak. It's part of a
plan for spending $100 million on renewable energy around Alaska to reduce
consumption of expensive diesel fuel and bring down local electric bills.
"The wind turbine is a blessing for us," Harvey Paul, general manager of
the local power company, Puvurnaq, said Monday. "We have some of the highest
fuel prices in the state and some of the best winds."
No longer will seal hunters have to complain when rough weather keeps their
skiffs on the beach, Paul said. "Now they'll stay home and enjoy the wind
and be happy that their electric rates are going down."
The problems in rural Alaska posed by high energy costs and a poor fishing
season swept into the news this month with dramatic reports from Emmonak and
nearby villages on the Yukon delta. Some critics accused the state of being
slow to respond to a humanitarian crisis.
But last year, with oil prices soaring, the Legislature did take aim at the
long-term with the Renewable Energy Fund. Lawmakers committed $50 million
for the first year, then added another $50 million during a special session
on energy.
The six delta wind projects are on a list of 72 renewable energy priorities
recommended by the Alaska Energy Authority last week. The list also includes
wind projects around Nome and Kotzebue, wood-burning boilers in the
Interior, small hydro feasibility studies and help for Railbelt utilities.
The priority recommendations must be approved in the next few weeks by the
Legislature, which must also decide whether to continue funding the program
at a recommended pace of $50 million a year.
COST OF POWER DROPPED
This year's sharp revenue decline has created a different environment in
Juneau. Some legislators have expressed concern about the money laid out in
the $100 million list, while others have been supportive, AEA executive
director Steve Haagenson said.
On the impoverished Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the AEA list recommends wind
turbines for the village of Mekoryuk on Nunivak Island, the regional hub of
Bethel and three coastal villages near the mouth of the Kuskokwim:
Kongiganak, Kwigillingok and Quinhagak.
The state also plans to spend $1 million to add another turbine to the three
now providing electricity for Toksook Bay and the nearby villages of Tununak
and Nightmute.
The money would be available for construction this summer -- if the
in-demand turbines can be found. The program must also pay for computerized
controls that integrate wind and diesel power into a single system.
The AEA recommendations were based on proposals submitted from around the
state.
In two western communities where wind farms already provide some
electricity, the cost of power has dropped about 15 percent, according to
the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative.
In Toksook Bay, three existing wind turbines saved almost 46,000 gallons of
fuel last year, according to the AEA. A similar setup in Kasigluk also
serves the neighboring village of Nunapitchuk through an intertie.
Quinhagak expects to use three wind turbines to replace one-third of its
diesel-generated power, saving about 50,000 gallons of fuel a year.
Across Kuskokwim Bay, Kongiganak hopes to cut its fuel use for electricity
in half, Paul said. The village received $1.5 million from the state for
three wind turbines in 2007 and is slated for another three for $1.7
million.
With diesel up to $6.50 a gallon in Kongiganak, fuel costs for the power
company have doubled in the past two years, stressing household budgets,
Paul said. Promissory notes are helping some get by this winter. He said the
majority of residents poured their $1,200 "energy rebate" checks from the
state last year into heating oil and electric bills.
"Of course, some people didn't use it wisely," Paul said. "If people (in
Anchorage) hear about somebody who didn't use it wisely, maybe they think
everyone is like that."
'ALL THIS TURMOIL'
The state's push for wind power has excited some villages, but it won't go
far to solving the chronic economic problems of remote villages in Alaska.
Even with a savings from wind and the state's rural power subsidy,
electricity in a village like Quinhagak will still cost four times as much
as Anchorage. And the windmills won't help with heating homes, which is the
big burner of fuel and family income.
"Heating, that's exactly where all this turmoil is coming from," said
Francis Sipary, assistant manager for the Toksook Bay village Native
corporation.
Moreover, the renewable energy recommendations only scratch the surface of
rural electric needs. None of the new money, for example, is going to
Emmonak or the nearby Yukon delta villages that have generated recent
headlines.
"It became clear after the AEA process, there are way more viable projects
than there is current money available," said Chris Rose, head of the
nonprofit Renewable Energy Alaska Project and a member of an AEA advisory
team that helped review the list.
Emmonak is working up a proposal for several wind turbines, but the city has
not yet dedicated land to the project, said Brent Petrie, renewable projects
manager for AVEC, a 53-village coop. His organization pushed forward
projects that had property agreements and permit issues mostly solved,
Petrie said.
The Emmonak project will probably include an intertie to the village of
Alakanuk, said Emmonak city manager Leon Kiana.
Residents think about getting a break on their electric bills when the wind
blows across the tundra, he said.
"It's kind of brisk right now," Kiana said. "So where are the windmills?"
Find Tom Kizzia online at adn.com/contact/tkizzia or call him at
907-235-4244
WIND POWER: Read the Alaska Energy Authority's recommendation for renewable
energy projects.
adn.com/environment
EMERGENCY? After a tour of Western Alaska, state officials say they can't
declare an emergency in Emmonak or other lower Yukon River villages hit by
poor fishing and high fuel costs. At least not yet. Another idea -- giving
state fuel vouchers to the village -- is on the back burner. Read more, and
watch a video.
adn.com/alaskapolitics |