HEA votes down solar, for now

Homer Electric Association directors voted down a proposed privately-owned solar project, a 975 kilowatt project planned by Lime Solar, of Anchorage. The board was split 4-4 with one member absent (a tie vote means disapproval). The project is likely to be reconsidered, however, when the full board is present. Lime Solar is prepared to move quickly to get the unit built. It would be the state’s largest solar installation. Golden Valley Electric Association of Fairbanks is now building a 563 kilowatt project to be completed in October, and Anchorage’s Chugach Electric will begin work on a 500 kilowatt project in June. One key difference is that the GVEA and Chugach initiatives are “community-funded” by members of the cooperatives while Lime Solar’s would be privately owned and financed, with a power sales contract to HEA. Under the latest proposal Lime Solar would sell power to HEA for 13.8 cents/kilowatt hour.

Siemens talks with IGU on gas

Siemens Dresser-Rand is still in discussions with the Interior Gas Utility of Fairbanks over purchases of lique ed natural gas from a proposed modular micro-LNG plant that could be built at Houston, on the Parks Highway north of Wasilla. In January Siemens built a similar plant at Dawson Creek, B.C., from which LNG is bring trucked to customers in Yukon Territory. The owner of the Dawson Creek plant is AltaGas Ltd., which also owns Enstar Natural Gas Co., the Southcentral Alaska gas utility.

Siemens said the Dawson Creek plant is a demonstration of its technology in an Interior environment is more challenging than Southcentral Alaska. The trucking distance from Dawson Creek to Whitehorse, Y.T., 632 miles, more than twice the 300 miles on the Parks Highway from Houston to Fairbanks. Siemens builds the plants in modules capable of producing 30,000 gallons of LNG daily. If IGU opts for the project Siemens said it would install two modules to deliver up to 60,000 gallons per day. IGU is also considering building a new LNG plant at the site of its current small plant near Point MacKenzie, in the Mat-Su Borough.

50% energy savings on power unit

Tikahtnu Corp. of Wasilla reported that a new micro combined heat and power system installed in its TransAlaska Building resulted in a 50 percent energy savings in 2017 compared with 2016. The data compares the rst full year of the system’s performance. Tikahtnu is now considering addition of battery bank to further enhance savings. Tikahtnu is the village corporation for Knik village.