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Alaska’n renewable energy plan and geothermal

Alexander Richter 20 Jan 2009

Alaskan governor Sarah Palin announced new energy goals for the state. At a press conference that announced her statewide energy plan, she called for 50 percent of Alaska's power to be generated by renewable resources by 2025.

Alaskan governor Sarah Palin announced new energy goals for the state. At a press conference that announced her statewide energy plan, she called for 50 percent of Alaska’s power to be generated by renewable resources by 2025.

The plan includes the bigger cities of the state, but also hundreds of villages off the road system and power grid. The governor called for the “stop of traditional infighting and take a regional approach for new power generation projects that could lower costs.” Today about 24 percent of Alaska’s power comes from renewables, mostly from hydropower.

The new community guide “is a primer on alternative energy sources as well as an inventory for projects. For example, the accompanying documentation shows that Scammon Bay, a mile from the Bering Sea in western Alaska, has the potential for a wind-diesel hybrid project, and that 700 miles to the northeast on the Yukon River, the village of Circle has potential for generating electricity with geothermal resources.

Palin energy adviser Steve Haagenson, who oversaw the village report, also unveiled the first 77 projects picked for grants from the $100 million Alaska Renewable Energy Fund.”

Source: Alaska News

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