By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city and the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association are among 11 entities selected for a national program aimed at finding clean energy solutions that “reduce energy costs and power disruptions.”
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday that the two local applicants had been selected for the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project, aimed at leveraging the expertise of DOE and National Labs to advance local clean energy solutions and improve resilience for the entities selected.
ALFA was the only nonprofit selected in the U.S., and the City and Borough of Sitka was one of four Alaska communities picked for the program.
The program is aimed at remote coastal and island communities that are geographically isolated, and as a result often face high energy costs and vulnerable energy infrastructure due to an increased risk of natural disaster and climate change, DOT said.
The description says the goal of the city of Sitka is to “build up their renewable energy generation to support a growing community with changing needs. Sitka would like to assess the available renewable resources in and around their community while planning for a more modern grid control system.
DOE says “ALFA’s fleet is reliant on diesel fuel imports. ... With ETIPP, they will investigate the possibility of developing a hybrid fuel or electrified fishing fleet to reduce diesel reliance and increase the earning potential of their members.”
City and Borough of Sitka
The city on Wednesday said the application was spearheaded by the electric department and that the award does not mean any funds for the city, but “technical support and consultation from experts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,”
The city was pleased the application was successful.
City Public and Government Relations Director Melissa Henshaw said the city “had a strong summary of our impacts: reduce cost, optimize energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be more efficient and self-reliant.”
But as to how the city will use the national and regional expertise will come down to meetings involving city staff and the national lead and subtechnical points of contact, as well as the regional partner, to initiate scoping.
“This will determine the parameters and will allow us to optimize the benefits that will be best for Sitka,” Henshaw said in announcing the award. “Together we will implement community-driven solutions that address Sitka’s unique energy challenges, values and goals.”
The city’s application cited the need to add “renewable generation resources in the next 5-10 years, and the need for Sitka to modernize its conventional SCADA and electrical control system.
“Energy audits are needed, a risk assessment for the entire system, food security, a review of code, permitting and regulation is needed, a cost benefit analysis for locations, type, and numbers of municipal charging stations, attracting manufacturing and commercial operations, identification of technical opportunities,” the city said.
City Utility Director Scott Elder commented, “Our wish list is long but as we meet with the NREL team we will ascertain which items will be most beneficial and that the laboratories will be able to assist us on,” he said.
Elder said the Department of Energy received a number of letters of support from a broad cross-section of the community: the Assembly; and the Alaska Congressional delegation of U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Rep. Don Young.
Elizabeth Bagley, chair of the Climate Action Task Force, said the news was shared at the group’s Tuesday meeting, and the team “looks forward to providing any support in these important efforts.”
ALFA
ALFA Executive Director Linda Behnken was pleased with the news, both for ALFA and the city.
“The ETIPP awards are a huge boost for ALFA, Sitka and Alaska generally,” she said. “We’ve been working for years to understand fuel use in our fleet and to increase fuel efficiency. ETIPP will provide the high level of expertise to convert boats to hybrid-hydropower, which will lower operating costs, reduce our carbon footprint and increase fleet resilience. With the help of national and state ETIPP partners, we will be that much closer to a more resilient and sustainable energy future.”
ALFA is working with Chandler Kemp, who has a master’s degree in energy resource engineering and has been working with the nonprofit for more than four years on projects, including energy audits on diesel-powered trollers, longliners, seiners and gillnetters to help them become more efficient. That includes the fuel they consume and “how different loads are using that fuel.”
Kemp, in working with ALFA and the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, has “done a lot of work to develop load profiles – how vessels use energy, how much they use, and what they use it for,” he said. “With this project we have access to experts, and we will really start to look at alternative fuel systems that would apply to the fisheries.”
ALFA’s plan calls for converting two boats, the F/V Woodstock and F/V I Gotta, to electric power (hydro) with diesel backup.
“Each of the boat owners are putting up the money for the conversion - this (award) will be the technical expertise,” Behnken said.
She added that ALFA is looking for more funding to convert more boats.
“Our project and the city’s project are complementary.” Behnken said. “As we convert boats to hydropower we will use more of Sitka’s renewable energy. If the city simultaneously optimizes energy use we can lower overall dependence on imported diesel and still meet Sitka’s energy needs.”
Kemp said to his knowledge Fabian Grutter, on the F/V Sunbeam, has the only hybrid propulsion system on a commercial fishing boat in the U.S.
Kemp, who owns Kempy Energetics in Juneau, said he’s mainly looking at a hybrid electric system which will result in a reduction in diesel fuel consumption. He said he’ll be consulting with the experts at the National Renewable Energy Lab, the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, a nonprofit in Anchorage.
