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September 21, 2012
Alaska Energy Authority
813 W. Northern Lights Blvd
Anchorage, AK 99503
RE: AP&T Round 6 Renewable Energy Fund Grant Application, AEA-13-006, Upper
Tanana Biomass CHP Project – Design and Permitting
Dear AEA:
Please accept this letter of support for Alaska Power and Telephone (AP&T) Renewable Energy
Fund grant application referenced above.
AP&T has been a statewide leader in developing innovative renewable energy solutions and their
efforts to develop biomass CHP for the Upper Tanana region is another example of this
initiative. This project has undergone substantial scrutiny and represents an important local fuels
and cost saving opportunity for their customers and residents of the region. This area in
particular has both a biomass energy resource and a hazardous fuels challenge, both of which can
be addressed through this biomass CHP proposal. As well, the local economic multipliers that
will result from harvesting local biomass are additional benefits for the region and the state.
As currently configured, this project is also considering a district heating loop. This is an
important element to manage the technical reality that a CHP system produces significant heat
relative to electricity and this heat must be used effectively for the project to be feasible.
I encourage you to support this proposal for AP&T and for the residents of the Upper Tanana
region. Please contact me at your convenience if you have any questions or would like additional
information.
Sincerely,
Brian Hirsch, PhD
Senior Project Leader – Alaska
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a government-owned-contractor-operated facility managed and operated
by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC (“Alliance”) under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Contract No. DE-AC36-
08GO28308.