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HomeMy WebLinkAboutShaktoolik Wind Turbines AVEC Construction 08-2015-WShaktoolik, Alaska Wind turbines reduce residential electric bills by more than 50 percent Quick Facts Total Project Costs: $2,839,977 Funding: Renewable Energy Fund & Local Funds Capital Costs Design: $230,972 Construction: $2,609,005 Equipment Specifications Make/Model: (2) Northern Power 100B Rated Capacity: 100 kW Net Capacity Factor: 23.5% Rotor Diameter: 21 meters Hub Height: 37 meters Total Rated Capacity: 200 kW Diesel Fuel Offset Estimated Annual: 33,000 gallons Actual Annual: 24,000 gallons April 2012-Dec. 2014: 50,000 gallons Fuel Savings Estimated Annual: $133,375 Actual Annual: $97,000 April 2012-Dec. 2014: $200,000 Benefit/Cost Ratio: 1.51 Shaktoolik Wind Construction Project Overview In partnership with the Alaska Energy Authori- ty (AEA), the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) completed the construction of a 200 kW wind farm. The project installed two 100 kW North- ern Power turbines, secondary heat loads, load con- trollers, and new switchgear for the power house. Objectives The objectives of this project were to displace diesel fuel and provide the community of Shaktoolik with a renewable, reliable, and cost-effective energy source. Economic Feasibility The project became operational in April of 2012. Between April of 2012 and December of 2014, the tur- bines generated 651 megawatt-hours of electricity and displaced 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel. This displace- ment saved the community $200,000 in reduced fuel costs. In its projected 20-year lifespan, the project has a calculated benefit/cost ratio of 1.51. Project Specifications The two Northern Power turbines are located on the community’s abandoned air strip. This location was chosen largely because it contained structurely sound and well compacted fill material to support the tower’s foundation loading requirements. All wind-generated electricity is managed through secondary load con- trolling equipment at the powerhouse. Heat gener- ated from excess energy was used primarily at the community powerhouse, but AVEC and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) have determined uses for the thermal energy elsewhere in the community. The power system is managed by a computerized supervisory controller which monitors all system parameters and makes decisions to regu- late each component of the wind-diesel system. The Aerial view of Shaktoolik and turbines, photo courtesy of AEA. controller tracks the wind and diesel output along with load demand and automatically carries out instruc- tions to safely and efficiently operate the turbines. When the wind power is insufficient, the supervisory controller selects and starts the most efficient diesel engine or combinations of engines. Allocation of Funding The Alaska Energy Authority’s Renewable Energy Fund grant contributed $2,465,633 toward the design and construction of the project. Local funds contribut- ed $374,344 for the same project phases. Learning Experiences/Challenges One of the turbines suffered a problem with the mi- croprocessor and needed to be repaired. This, however, was a small setback in the scheme of the project as a whole and did not require a lot of down time. After applying in 2011, AVEC and ANTHC received an additional REF grant in 2012 that funded the design and construction of a secondary load system. The system is designed to capture excess wind energy and use it to provide heat for the water treatment plant and drinking water storage tank. A challenge with this kind of system is that it is necessary to have sizeable second- ary loads in order to handle the excess wind power. Community Benefits Electrical consumption and generation has increased by 35 percent in Shaktoolik since 1991. It is expect- ed that the load in Shaktoolik will continue to grow throughout the duration of the project’s lifespan. This project has allowed AVEC to continue providing for the demand growth at a reduced generation cost. With the turbines operating, AVEC’s utility bills have been cut by more than 50 percent, which allows them to free up hundreds of dollars per month to help them keep up with maintenance, facility operations, and cus- tomer service. As a result of AVEC’s operation/mainte- nance costs, residential rates have also decreased from $0.54/kWh with diesel-generated electricity to $0.20 with diesel-wind generated electricity. Project Contact Information Parties Involved: Kirstin Enanoria, AVEC Email: kenanoria@avec.org Case Study Author: Zoe Tressel, AEA Website: Akenergyauthority.org Phone: 907-771-3000 Shaktoolik Wind Construction Northern Power 100B turbines, photo courtesy of AEA. Northern Power 100B turbines, photo courtesy of Solsticeak.com Published August, 2015 “With their reduced operation/maintenance costs, AVEC is able to reduce residential electricity rates by more than 50 percent.”