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Bringing billing innovations to Â黨ÊÓƵ's most remote communities
June 03, 2024
One of the critical challenges in serving remote communities around the world with vital electricity and other infrastructure services is how to pay for such services. The following are selected excerpts from UA Press' forthcoming book Â黨ÊÓƵ's Energy Innovators that follow the story of two women who were pivotal in creating electric utilities in Â黨ÊÓƵ's smallest and most remote villages and provided the tools - through prepay metering technology - to enable these micro-utilities to become sustainable enterprises.
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April 16, 2024
In mid-February, the frozen Yukon river appeared still and foreboding - large chunks of jumble ice jutting out from its surface. But underneath the ice, the water flowed. Stephanie Fisher and Leo Azizi from the Â黨ÊÓƵ Center for Energy and Power were there to measure the under-ice flow rate, the first step in determining whether locals could use this seemingly frozen river to generate electricity.
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Telling the story of Â黨ÊÓƵ's electrification
April 01, 2024
As an energy and environmental historian at the University of Â黨ÊÓƵ Fairbanks, much of my research has focused on the Trans-Â黨ÊÓƵ Pipeline System (TAPS) and its historical influence in Â黨ÊÓƵ and beyond. While conducting this research I kept finding fascinating and remarkable stories of Â黨ÊÓƵ's electrification. This book provided me the opportunity to offer a narrative of Â黨ÊÓƵ's electrical history and contemplate possibilities of electric futures.
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Â黨ÊÓƵ's data center opportunity: A reality check and possible next steps
February 08, 2024
The role of data centers continues to increase in the lives of ordinary citizens, large corporations and other electricity consumers across the globe. From the surge in interest and application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to the more localized needs of remote communities in Â黨ÊÓƵ, access to the Internet and cloud computing are transforming the economy and the electricity infrastructure that underpins it. Could a large data center like those seen in Iceland make sense in Â黨ÊÓƵ?
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Inspiring tales of energy innovation from the top of the world
January 19, 2024
As glaciers melt and permafrost thaws, treasured species of fish such as salmon and crab decline, oil reserves wane and consumer energy bills continue to rise, Â黨ÊÓƵ is re-evaluating its energy future. The good news is that many rural Â黨ÊÓƵ communities are already leading the way towards a new energy future for the state.
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January 03, 2024
As EV technology continues to improve and market demand grows in the U.S., the adoption of EVs will undoubtedly increase in Â黨ÊÓƵ. We see evidence of this trend already. What will this increase in electric demand mean for overall consumer rates as we work to address the gas conundrum over the next 5 to 10 years?
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ARCTIC Toolkit: Students pave the way towards energy resiliency in rural Â黨ÊÓƵ
November 10, 2023
Sometimes to get a job done in rural Â黨ÊÓƵ, you have to learn how to do it yourself. Equipped with thermometers, hair dryers, and infrared cameras, Â黨ÊÓƵ Teaching Through Technology students learned how to assess a home's energy efficiency, make recommendations and weatherize buildings with accessible materials.
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September 15, 2023
Public opinion about nuclear energy is often shaped by big events and popular culture, with many people not feeling they fully understand the topic
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Ready or not, electric vehicles are coming
August 03, 2023
The transition to electric vehicles is happening—rapidly in some places and more slowly in others. Are we ready for EVs in Â黨ÊÓƵ?
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Does Coal have a Role in Â黨ÊÓƵ's Energy Future
July 07, 2023
Coal has become a dirty word, and not without good reason. But when it comes to coal, Â黨ÊÓƵns have to be pragmatic and open-minded about the realities of our state's needs and available resources. We need to think holistically about our energy options and how we can do the absolute best with ALL of the energy sources and technologies we have access to.
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Innovation at the Margins – Lessons Learned from Rural Â黨ÊÓƵ
June 29, 2023
Technology transitions don't happen uniformly all at once. There are pockets of early adopters, or niche markets, where technology uptake is much faster than the norm. In Â黨ÊÓƵ, those niche markets have been our rural communities. The Railbelt should look to its counterparts in rural Â黨ÊÓƵ to understand what strategies and approaches have worked, where, and why.
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Nuclear Power and the Perils of Pioneering
June 22, 2023
One day in 2004, Marvin Yoder, the City Manager of Galena, AK, received an unusual e-mail that would change his life and the course of an industry. The email was an inquiry from Toshiba Corporation, asking if Galena might be interested in hosting a demonstration deployment of a small nuclear microreactor "battery" that was under development in Japan.
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Seven Tomorrows - the perils of predicting the future
June 15, 2023
Predicting the future is hard - really hard. What can we learn from researchers who scientifically tried to predict the 1980s and 90s, but got things very, very wrong?
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Cheaper by the Dozen: Reducing Â黨ÊÓƵ's Electricity Costs
June 07, 2023
Next week, we will explore a cautionary tale about our ability to predict or forecast the future, and why maintaining flexibility in the face of uncertainty is a smart strategy.
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Embarking on a Quest for Cheap Energy
June 02, 2023
Could Â黨ÊÓƵ generate power for electricity and heat on par with the most competitive markets in the world? A look at the places in the world with the cheapest power to consumers reveals some valuable insights (as well as cautionary tales) to consider as the trend toward deregulation and the opening of energy markets continues to rise.
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Â黨ÊÓƵ's Energy Future: A view from my hot tub
May 22, 2023
From vast fossil energy resources to every possible flavor of renewable energy, Â黨ÊÓƵ has the resources and assets to produce some of the cheapest energy in the world. However, our current reality boasts the highest energy cost burden of any state in the U.S. Can investments we make today leave an intergenerational legacy of cheap and reliable energy in Â黨ÊÓƵ?
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Energy awareness app earns two ACEP students prestigious award
April 18, 2023
The Dr. Alex Hills Engineering and Civic Engagement Award doesn't typically go to software engineering projects, but the app designed by UAA computer science students Nicole Mah and Tuva Granøien had both the engineering acumen and strong focus on civic engagement worthy of the prestigious award.
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March 24, 2023
The idea of making a difference in the energy sector for rural Â黨ÊÓƵn communities had always intrigued Logan Borger. When he stumbled upon a flier for ACEP's summer internship program in 2019, he knew he had found the perfect chance to explore this passion firsthand.
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What Australia Can Teach Â黨ÊÓƵ Â黨ÊÓƵ the Energy Transition
March 15, 2023
Australia and Â黨ÊÓƵ share much in common when it comes to microgrids, but there are some important differences on energy strategies for managing not only transmission networks but also approaches to developing the new hydrogen economy.
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February 17, 2023
Often what lies behind a dataset is a story, or a set of stories. Sometimes, it's an epic saga complete with heroes, foes, trials and tribulations.
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What's in a Name? Survey Respondents Agree that Definitions Matter for Energy Terms
January 19, 2023
Â黨ÊÓƵ Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) conducted surveys to gain an understanding of how people define terminology in the energy sector worldwide, focusing on microgrids, the dominant infrastructure platform in Â黨ÊÓƵ.
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November 23, 2022
We are here for the "wood drop" program organized by Aurora Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Aurora Energy -- the company that owns the 27.5-megawatt coal-fired power plant.
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Nuclear Energy and the Role of UAF in Raising Awareness through Public Engagement
October 19, 2022
UAF can play an important role as a conduit for accurate, science-based information about this emerging microreactor technology, and exploring potential use cases in Â黨ÊÓƵ.
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Education, Innovation and Leadership: Field Notes from Cordova
October 13, 2022
In communities as small as Cordova, with a winter population of around 2,500, each community member has the capacity to bring real change and guide the direction of the city.
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Leaning in to Difficult Discussions: Nuclear in Â黨ÊÓƵ
October 12, 2022
As concerns regarding the impacts of carbon emissions continue to rise, more and more people are exploring a new breed of advanced nuclear reactors that are smaller, safer and more flexible as part of a cleaner future energy portfolio. Could these systems be beneficial for Â黨ÊÓƵ?
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