ALASKA COMMUNITY GOES 99.7% NEW ENERGY

An Alaskan Island Goes 100% Renewable

Laurie Guevara-Stone, May 19, 2015 Rocky Mountain Institute

Kodiak Island got relief from Alaska’s $0.18 per kwh electricity price by substituting wind power for the annual 2.8 million gallons of diesel fuel it has burned at an annual cost of $7 million. With 80% hydro power, its electricity supply now meets its 26-plus MW peak demand with 99.7% renewables. The 15,000 person southern Alaska island’s Kodiak Electric Association (KEA) installed six 1.5 MW GE wind turbines, 3 MW of battery storage, and added a 10 MW hydroelectric turbine to existing facilities. The island’s electricity rates, which are now 2.5% below 2001 levels, brought in new economic activity and jobs in construction and the fishing industry, and increased tax revenues, making a strong case for the state’s 50% by 2025 renewables mandate. click here for more

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