Five Years of the Renewable Energy Fund
Sean Skaling
Alaska Energy Authority
2013 Alaska Rural Energy
Conference
April 29, 2013
Chuniisax Creek Hydro, Atka
1
Overview

Statistics

Results

Examples

New Grants

Changes

Staff & Assistance

Resources
Eva Creek Wind, Healy
2
Renewable Energy Fund: Benefits
•
Supports Alaska’s 50% Renewable Power goal
•
Diversifies Alaska’s energy supply
•
Reduces energy costs by:
•
Providing low-cost renewable energy to displace fossil fuels
•
Reducing the cost of renewable energy
•
Keeping more dollars in local community
•
Provides consistent and efficient evaluation of projects and prospective
funding
•
Leverages State dollars to produce energy
•
Enhances regional planning efforts
3
Statistics
Round Round Round Round Round Round
Totals
V
VI
I
II
III
IV
646 Applications received
$1,349M
251 Applications funded
$227M
62 Grants completed/closed
Applications Received
Applications Funded
Grants Currently in Place
Grants Completed &
Closed
Grants Cancelled or
Combined
Grants Unissued to Date2
Amount Requested3 ($M)
AEA Recommended ($M)
Appropriated ($M)
Cash Disbursed ($M)
Match Provided ($M) 4
Other Known Funding ($M)
4, 5
115
801
36
118
30
15
123
25
14
108
74
60
97
19
14
85
23*
0
646
251
139
39
13
6
3
1
0
62
5
2
4
1
0
0
12
0
$453.8
$100.0
$100.0
$65.7
$20.7
0
$293.4
$36.8
$25.0
$18.5
$22.6
1
$223.5
$65.8
$25.0
$12.4
$10.5
10
$123.1
$36.6
$26.66
$15.8
$34.6
4
$132.9
$43.2
$25.9
$7.8
$8.2
$9.2
$1.6
$0.8
$14.5
$0
23*
38
$122.6 $1,349.3
$56.8
$339.2
$25.0
$227.5
$0 $120.2
$6.1
$102.7
$215.6
* Round VI in FY14 capitol budget, not yet
signed by Governor
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$2,41.7
Rounds I-V
by Phase
18% Reconnaissance and Feasibility
8% Final Design
74% Construction
State-wide scope
5
Rounds I-V
Pre-Construction
By Resource Type
6
Rounds I-V
Construction Projects
By Resource Type
74% Construction
8% Final Design
18% Recon and Feasibility
State-wide scope
7
Results: Economic Benefits
•
First 62 projects in construction portfolio
•
REF investment of $112M
•
$500 million net present benefits from
Renewable Energy Fund projects in
construction is projected
•
Integrates actual performance from
completed projects
8
Renewable Energy Fund: Avoided Fuel
•
Renewable Energy Fund projects offset a
growing volume of fuel
•
Large jump in 2013 is from Eva Creek Wind
and Anchorage Landfill Gas projects
•
Expect continued growth in avoided fuel as
previously funded projects complete
construction
Partial support for renewable energy fund project database developed by the
Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage
from the U.S. Department of Energy, EPSCoR project DE-PS02-09ER09-12,
Making Wind Work for Alaska: Supporting the Development of Sustainable,
Resilient, Cost-Effective Wind-Diesel Systems for Isolated Communities
9
Renewable Energy Project: Lowering the Cost of Energy
•
•
We expect Renewable Energy Fund
projects to lower power costs
•
Even without a REF grant
•
Achieving these economics are part of
our scoring criteria
Renewable Energy Fund grants help good
projects get built
•
Provides needed capital
•
Decreases the payback period on good
projects
10
Community Highlight: Atka
Chuniisax Creek Hydroelectric Project
• Completed in 2012
• Capacity: 283 kilowatts
• Providing nearly 100 % of Atka’s power needs, including
a portion of Atka Pride Seafoods’ demand
• Capital Cost: $5 million
• 52,000 gallons per year fuel savings
• Lifetime savings: $14,100,000
• Used local labor
• Potential to use excess power for electric heat
11
Community Highlight: Delta Junction
Delta Junction School Biomass
• Completed in September 2011
• High-efficiency, low-emissions wood chip heating system
• Wood chips come from Dry Creek Saw Mill waste product
• Funding $2M grant/$2.8M total
Heat Exchanger
• Annual fuel savings: 53,000 gal.
• Lifetime savings: $3,060,000
• Allowed the school to save 2 teacher positions, reopen
music program and remodel the school kitchen
• Potential to add additional facilities
• Easy maintenance
12
Community Highlight: JBER
Landfill-Gas-To-Energy Project
• Funding from AEA Renewable Energy Fund, Doyon
Utilities and federal government
• Constructed in 2012
• Alaska’s first landfill-gas-to-energy project
• Located on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)
• Produce power from Anchorage Regional Landfill
methane gas
GE Jenbacher gas engines at Doyon Utility’s
JBER facility
• Expected results:
• 56,000 MWh/year
• 26.2% of JBER’s power use
• More than $50 million in savings over project life
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Eva Creek Wind
RE Fund Grant:
$1,463,200
+$10 million legislative appropriation
Total Project Cost:
$93,000,000
Est Fuel Displaced/yr: 4,200,000 gal
Lifetime Savings:
$137,804,000
14
Haines Senior
Center Biomass
RE Fund Grant:
$189,000
Total Project Cost:
$ 225,000
Est Fuel Displaced/yr:
38,000 gal
Lifetime Savings:
$2,978,000
15
Falls Creek
Hydroelectric,
Gustavus
RE Fund Grant:
$750,000
Total Project Cost:
$10,153,000
Est Fuel Displaced/yr: 140,000 gal
Lifetime Savings:
$31,500,000
16
Juneau Airport
Ground Source
Heat Pump
RE Fund Grant:
$513,000
Total Project Cost:
$1,026,000
Est Fuel Displaced/yr: 29,500 gal
Lifetime Savings:
$2,200,000
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Round 6 (this year)
Recommended and Funded
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AEA
Recommendations
Recommended 60
projects, $56.8M
Legislature funded 23
projects, $25M
19
AEA Recommendations
20
Legislative Appropriations, $25M
REF Funding by Type, Round VI
Yukon-Koyukok/Upper Tanana
1.0
Southeast
Northwest Arctic
Heat
Recovery
18%
Hydro
75%
13.7
1.0
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim
Biomass
5%
1.2
Copper River/Chugach
Solar
1%
Wind
1%
2.5
Bristol Bay
1.2
Bering Straits
1.7
Aleutians
2.6
0
2
4
6
8
10
Dollars in Millions
12
14
21
16
Number of Applications by Stage and Ranked Tier
18
16
14
12
Comparison of
the application
types by tier
High number of
construction projects in
top tiers
Recon
10
Feasibility
8
Design
Construction
6
4
2
0
Top $25M
$25-50M
$50-57M
Not recom
22

Separate funding for heat projects

Modified list of locations for $8M limit

Geothermal project feasibility limit
changes

Use cost of heat to score heat projects
Changes for
Round 7

Allow harvested wood to count as
match
14 recommended changes
approved by REF Advisory
Committee

Efficiency requirement for heat projects
One more REFAC meeting
May/June

Greater data collection standards,
extend collection to 10 years.
23

Request For Applications


Available early July
Due late September

Technical and grant assistance available
from AEA staff

Our Goal: the best applications possible
Round 7
Start planning now
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AEA Staff
Renewable Energy and Community Assistance Staff to know
25
Hydroelectric
Doug Ott
Audrey Alstrom
26
Wind
Rich Stromberg
Josh Craft
27
Biomass &
Heat Recovery
Devany Plentovich
Helen Traylor
28
Geothermal,
Hydrokinetic,
Emerging Technology
Alan Baldivieso
29
Energy Efficiency &
Conservation
Cady Lister
Katie Conway
Rebecca Garrett
30
Energy Planners
& Community
Assistance
Deborah Vo
Jed Drolet
Chris Gobah
31
Other New
Resources
Renewable Energy Atlas
Renewable Energy Fund Status Report
Power Cost Equalization Report
Energy Statistics Report
AEA Annual Report
32
AKEnergyAuthority.org
AKEnergyInventory.org
Web Resources
AKEnergyEfficiency.org
33
Thank You
Sean Skaling
Alaska Energy Authority
[email protected]
(907) 771-3079
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