Appropriate Use of Technology for Power Generation in Alaska

Natural capital is composed of the many things we depend on which are provided by our world environment. These resources can be renewable or non-renewable materials like oil or timber. Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins attempt to explain the underlying services that natural capital provides for everyday life in the book, Natural Capitalism. The profits of natural capitalism are the benefits we derive from a healthy environment. Examples include clean air and water, food and building materials. The constructs of natural capitalism could be an attractive concept for people living in Alaska.

Alaska’s rural residents are separated by great distances, have limited access to many resources and pay a higher cost of living than urban residents. Improvements to basic infrastructure in rural Alaska could reduce the cost of living and improve the overall quality of life. Consideration could be made for the broad areas of housing quality, transportation and utilities. Improvements made to the community infrastructure and quality of life increase the overall success of economic development efforts. There is a circle of benefits associated with efficient housing, dependable transportation, affordable energy and local employment through new industries. Affordable energy and appropriate power generation technology is one of these important considerations.

Providing electrical power to a home or business involves four basic areas of interest. They are energy resources, power generation, power distribution and consumers. The hallmark of commercial electrical utility operation is the rate and location of customer pull or use. High concentrations of large users help justify capital investments in large-scale generators and distribution systems. Large power plants are often located near readily available natural deposits of coal, oil or natural gas. Distribution lines transport the power to population centers and industries. High volumes of use or concentrations of users dictate placement of commercial utilities. Large-scale power distribution systems are not appropriate for use in rural Alaska. Technology may provide the ability to better utilize natural wind, tidal, solar and water energy to produce power.

Many rural residents live beyond the economical limits of connection to commercial electric utilities. Insufficient numbers of users and industries exist in most of Alaska to support large-scale utilities. Distribution systems must be constructed in very rough country, which increase costs and accessibility for repairs. Weather can be severe and cause failures in the system. There also needs to be a minimal number of customers served by each power line to justify its cost of construction. Alternative small-scale power systems have a place in rural Alaska. Potential improvements in power distribution, generation and efficiency are available to residents of Alaska.

Distribution performance can be improved by the use of small-scale power generators. Smaller generators can be placed much closer to the actual point of power consumption. Disruptions to the power supply are reduced and access for line repairs is much easier. Short power lines lose less power in transmission, and the power delivered is also “cleaner”, since there are fewer opportunities for broken insulators and lightning storms. The generation of power is changing with improvements to technology.

Small-scale power generation can take many forms. At a village level, there are gas or diesel fired co-generation systems available. Co-generation means there is an effort made to produce power efficiently and utilize the waste heat for community needs. Fuel cells are becoming feasible. Communities that gain access to new natural gas pipelines may make good use of these. Hybrid generation systems seem to make good sense for rural users. A primary generator is powered by diesel or natural gas. By using a computerized inverter, large banks of storage batteries are charged while the generator is running. During periods of low consumption, the generator shuts down and the household runs off of power inverted from the batteries. Trace Engineering builds a system like this that also allows inputs from alternative sources of energy. If there are wind or small hydropower sources available, they can also charge the battery banks.

The efficiency of electrical consumption merits attention by consumers, since much power is lost in electrical systems. If 100 units of energy are used to produce electricity at a large generator, by the time power is transmitted and distributed, there is less than ten units of the original energy left on the consumer’s side of the system. Energy is lost as heat at every point in the generation and distribution of power. Saving energy within a household has the greatest impact on the overall costs for an entire system. There are many ways to save energy in a household. These include super-insulation, using energy efficient light bulbs and appliances, installing high-performance windows and improved conservation techniques.

Rural residents are vulnerable to high costs of power, poor weather conditions, power distribution failures and lack of available support services. The rural versus urban appropriation of state resources will continue to generate debate in Alaska. It is likely funds provided for the power cost equalization program will continue to decline. Small-scale power generation systems that utilize renewable energy resources could be a bright spot in the future of Alaska. Rural residents can expect improvements to their quality of life with the advent of affordable and reliable electrical power. Using appropriate technology for power generation and distribution makes good sense for the natural capitalists living in rural areas of our state.

Tags: Appropriate Technology, Power Generation, Small Scale Power Generation, Alaska