HomeMy WebLinkAboutMVPL Letter of Support - JHP
Juneau Hydropower, Inc.
PO Box 22775
Juneau, AK 99802
www.juneauhydro.com
Telephone: (907) 789-2775
Fax: (907) 375-2973
September 19, 2013
Mr. Nathan Coffee
Project Director
City and Borough of Juneau
155 S. Franklin St.
Juneau, AK 99801
RE: Support for CBJ Application for Renewable Energy Grant Funding for the Juneau
Mendenhall Valley Public Library.
Dear Mr. Coffee,
Juneau Hydropower Inc. (JHI) is a leading Juneau energy developer with its 19.8 MW
Sweetheart Lake Hydroelectric Project. To date we have privately invested a substantial sum
of dollars of private capital from Juneau citizens seeking to provide long term energy
capacity and price stability to our Juneau community. Given the vast majority of energy
consumed by buildings in Juneau goes toward space heating, we feel that a ground source
heat pump coupled with a highly efficient building envelope represents a responsible use of
electricity in our community. JHI encourages the efficient and stra tegic use of
hydroelectricity in Juneau and that is why we are building more.
Further consider that since JHI first filed for a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) preliminary permit in 2009, diesel home heating fuel prices have increased $1.27
representing a 42.8%1 increase in fuel cost/inflation. As Project Director for the project
along with other CBJ staff should be commended for ensuring that this library meet the
needs for our community with great consideration made for removing current and future
governmental building “off” diesel. Due to the location of the library next to exis ting ground
source heat pump systems, synergies and lower costs are created.
The Juneau International Airport, Valley Aquatic Center and AEL&P’s corporate building all
use Ground Source heat pumps and have saved the community hundreds o f thousands of dollars
1 Alaska Department of Commerce Current Community Conditions Alaska Fuel Price Reports July 2013
2
in oil savings in a relatively short period of time. Juneau is unique in that in the recent past a
bond issue was floated to the public to install heat pumps at the Auke Bay School Facility in
a recent Juneau municipal (2011) election. The 2011 bond issue for converting Juneau’s Auke
Bay School to ground source heat pump won by the largest margin than any other election or
bond issue on the 2011 ballot capturing 74%2 in an affirmative vote. This bond issue support can
lend itself that the Juneau community clearly and unequivocally supports ground source heat
pump technology as a means to heat governmental buildings on ground source heat pumps
with low cost and efficient use of electricity.
The high initial cost of ground source heat pump systems can make it difficult to pencil out
and install, despite the very low life-cycle costs of the technology. We therefore support
your pursuit of AEA grant funding to help reduce the high capital cost of the heating
system on the Mendenhall Valley Public Library to reduce long term heating costs and
operational expenses that will save money now and hedge against future fuel cost
inflation. JHI commends you and the CBJ staff for pursuing an AEA renewable energy
grant.
Sincerely,
Duff W. Mitchell
VP & Business Manager.
2 http://www.juneau.org/clerk/elections/documents/2011 -Official_Election_Results.pdf