HomeMy WebLinkAboutKodiak renewables summary 5/9/14 AEA Internal
Renewables at Kodiak Electric Cooperative
Terror Lake Unit 3 Hydroelectric Capacity Increase
The Terror Lake Unit 3 Hydroelectric Project is to install a third hydro turbine capable of producing an
additional 13.8 megawatts (MW) in the existing Terror Lake Plant. This brings the overall capacity of the plant
to 33.8 MW. The original engineers of the Terror Lake facility had the foresight to design the facility for
expansion to three turbines. The original design assumed one day additional capacity would be required.
Terror Lake is KEA's primary generation source and is located approximately 25 miles southwest of the City of
Kodiak and is within the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. The current capacity of Terror Lake has been
surpassed by Kodiak's growing load demand. Without the additional hydropower capacity, the synergistic
relationship of more renewable variable energy sources and water cannot be fully realized. Expanding the
capacity of Terror Lake will significantly enhance the stability of KEA's isolated grid system and reduce KEA's
dependence on diesel fuel by providing ample backup capacity to cover peak loads and outage backup for the
other two hydro turbine generator units. Currently, the project is in the commissioning phase. The original
project received its FERC license in 1981 and completed construction in 1985 for $230,000,000 by the State.
Funding received:
1) Round 2: Feasibility and conceptual design
Total expenditures: $224,418.68 REF; $214,418.68 match
2) Round 3: Final design and permitting
Total expenditures: $248,160 REF; $200,000 match
3) Round 4: Construction
Total expenditures: $3,751,840 REF; $3,750,000 Leg App; $7,772,710 match (not final)
Wind & Battery Systems
Kodiak Electric Association began studying the wind resource on Pillar Mountain in late 2005 with the
installation of a 50-meter tall and a 30-meter tall meteorological tower on the mountain. Both locations
showed Class 7 – Superb wind resources. The challenge for this site was to develop a wind energy system
capable of surviving periodic extreme wind conditions. In fall 2009, three GE 1.5MW wind turbines were
installed on Pillar Mountain using state funds and Clean Renewable Energy Bonds. These are 80 meter towers
with 77 meter rotor diameters. Total budget was $23.3 million of which $4 million was through the Renewable
Energy Fund. Pre and post construction avian studies have been performed and thus far no bird takes have
been documented.
Kodiak Electric Association added three more GE 1.5MW wind turbines in fall 2012 doubling the wind farm to
six turbines with a total rated capacity of 9 MW. The total project cost for this second phase was $23.15 million
with the Renewable Energy fund providing $7.8 million of that amount. This expanded project provides
approximately 18% of Kodiak's electrical needs. The increased amount of variable wind power is integrated
into Kodiak's hydroelectric system with two 1.5MW (1MWhr) battery storage systems that allow 30-90
seconds of bridging power to allow ramping up of output from the Terror Lake hydroelectric system. The
addition of the battery has allowed the wind to be used without curtailment, and allows more water to be
stored during times that the wind blows. They are now able to shut off diesels and allow the battery/hydro
mix to fulfill their spinning reserve requirement.
Kodiak is now considering a flywheel to both reduce the frequency of the battery use (and thus extend its life),
and to help integrate an electric crane at the port.
In the first quarter of 2014, Kodiak Electric operated using 99.4% renewable energy. REAP recently presented
Kodiak Electric with the Clean Energy Innovator of the Year Award.