The Shungnak photo voltaic vitality venture that permits the neighborhood to make use of much less diesel and get monetary savings on vitality was highlighted in an trade journal this month because the microgrid venture of the yr.
Photo voltaic Builder journal acknowledged the 225-kilowatt Shungnak Group Microgrid Photo voltaic Mission, the battery system that permits Shungnak and the close by village of Kobuk to run on diesel-off for a lot of the summer season solar.
“This microgrid has been working for nearly a yr now, leading to 15,360 gallons of diesel gas that the neighborhood of Shungnak not wants,” Northwest Arctic Borough officers mentioned. “That is a price financial savings within the vary of $125,000 to $135,000 for the yr — financial savings that go immediately again into the neighborhood.”
The tribal governments of the villages personal the microgrid and promote the ability to the Alaska Village Electrical Cooperative. On this manner, the villages develop into their very own impartial electrical energy producers and reinvest the price financial savings again into extra renewable vitality tasks.
The financial advantages are particularly essential for the neighborhood that receives gas by air at a excessive value.
Earlier than it may get the funding for the microgrid, the Northwest Arctic Borough needed to show to authorities companies that “photo voltaic works in Alaska,” the place it is too darkish, in line with Photo voltaic Builder. To do this, the borough has been gathering information since 2013 on different photo voltaic tasks within the space.
Together with the borough, the US Division of Agriculture funded the $2.2 million venture. The microgrid was put in final fall by Alaska Native Renewable Industries and Daylight Vitality Companies in partnership with different companies and companies.
After the success of the Shungnak venture, the borough accomplished a Noatak farm – a 280-kilowatt photo voltaic photovoltaic and battery system that may act as an impartial electrical energy producer and promote energy to the Alaska Village Electrical Cooperative.
Along with NANA and AVEC, the Northwest Arctic Borough is engaged on a plan to deliver all Northwest Arctic communities renewable vitality and impartial energy producer operations, the place tribes produce their very own vitality. .
