Renewable energy touted as economical, natural solution

Published on January 28th, 2010

By CINTHIA RITCHIE

If Alaska doesn't move forward on the renewable energy front, it could lose crucial economic clout, according to Chris Rose, executive director and founder of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project.

Rose, a recent guest speaker at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make it Monday" Forum, presented a program outlining the economic smarts behind renewable energy, citing that it's inexpensive, clean and inexhaustible.

It's also local and that's an important factor in Alaska, especially in remote villages that rely on transported fuel supplies.

"If a village can displace that diesel or fuel oil primarily with renewable energy, that means those dollars aren't exiting the economy," he said. "They're staying in that local village and giving the multiplier effect."

Heavy dependence on fossil fuel is a risk, Rose said, particularly in the Railbelt, where 90 percent of natural gas is fired.

"Any dependency on one resource is a problem, especially if you cannot predict or control the price," he said.

Energy demand is anticipated to double by 2050, and that escalation isn't expected to diminish.

"If everyone in China used the same amount of oil per capita as Americans do, the Chinese would use up every drop of oil that we produce on this planet," he said.

Rose estimated fossil fuels will only last 50 to 100 years.

"It's finite," he said. "It's not an unlimited supply."

Wind, wave and water

Two years ago, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. collaborated on a renewable energy study that suggested solutions from public education and outreach to finding better energy efficiency in residential buildings. That same year, the legislature pumped $360 million into existing weatherization and rebate program, creating jobs while helping to cutting fuel bills.

But there's more to be done, such as educating the public on conservation and efficiency.

"They're not the same thing," Rose said. "Conservation is when you turn down the heat. Efficiency is when you get a more efficient heater."

The Legislature also set up the Renewable Energy Grant Fund and channeled $100 million the first year and $25 million last year. Almost half of that money has gone to wind projects. Of the 230 villages defined as remote, approximately 100 have developable wind, and 15 have been outfitted with wind/diesel/hydro energy projects, Rose said.

Kodiak is one example of Alaska's wind potential, with three 1.5 mega-watt wind turbines that save the city about a million gallons of diesel a year.

"At current prices which are about $2 a gallon, that's $2 million a year savings for a project that cost $21 million," Rose said. "That's a great success."

Other Alaska projects include a hydroproject near Gustavus that's expected to save 117,000 gallons of diesel a year; a groundsource heat pump at the Juneau airport, along with an estimated savings of about $85,000 a year; and a 600-kilowatt wind project in Unalakleet expected to save 113,000 gallons of fuel a year.

Wave and tidal power also holds promise as renewable energy sources, especially since over 60 Alaska villages are situated near large, relatively slow moving rivers such as the Yukon, prime spots for hydrokinetic possibilities.

"This is the kind of technology we should be utilizing and transsferring to the developing world," Rose said. "We have 90 percent of the U.S.'s tidal power potential and 50 percent of the wave power potential. That's a huge amount potential."

The countries that move forward and "pounce" on renewable energy opportunities will be the countries that succeed in the future, according to Rose.

"For a long time we were blessed with relatively and artificially low priced natural gas, but now we have a problem with availability and prices that are going to be trending up," he said. "We have decisions to make. Energy is the life blood of any economy."