The winds of Kotzebue.

• Author: Pohl, John
• Position: Alaskan Eskimo community uses wind turbines to generate jobs and electricity

An Eskimo community near the Arctic Circle is using wind to generate jobs and electricity.

In the summer of 1997, the empty expanse of the Arctic horizon rimming Kotzebue Sound was broken when construction crews erected three tall, steel lattice towers capped by state-of-the-art wind turbines. That winter, the three Atlantic Orient Co. 15/50 wind turbines withstood frigid temperatures while harnessing piercing winter winds, generating electricity for nearby Kotzebue. The turbines' success showcased Kotzebue Electric Association's efforts to develop wind energy as a means for bringing affordable electricity and future jobs to inhabitants of Northwest Alaska.

Kotzebue is a good illustration of rural Alaska power challenges. With 3,500 residents, Kotzebue is Alaska's largest Eskimo community north of the Arctic Circle. It is one of more than 200 Alaska villages lacking access to an electric grid. Like other villages in Northwest Alaska, Kotzebue imports diesel fuel to make electricity. But diesel-fueled village power systems are cumbersome. Fuel can only be barged in during summer months. Remote villages must stockpile the fuel for winter using massive tank farms. Many storage tanks are 20 years old and need replacement. And diesel power plants are expensive. Consequently, diesel-generated electricity is expensive.

The state's Power Cost Equalization Program helps offset the cost of rural power; in the case of Kotzebue, it provides almost $17 million a year in state energy assistance money. This reduces the cost of local power from 20 cents per kilowatt-hour to a more affordable 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. (Other smaller villages might pay as much as 60 cents per kilowatt-hour, were it not for state subsidies.) But the recent decline in oil revenue means less money is flowing into state coffers. Eventually, state energy subsidies for rural Alaska could disappear.

With this in mind, Brad Reeve, general manager of Kotzebue Electric Association, decided to explore alternative energy options for Kotzebue and other communities in Northwest. "I began thinking about wind in 1992," Reeve says. "It seemed to me that our utility could make a significant contribution to evaluating renewable technologies."

Northwest Alaska is treeless and predominantly at sea level; the wind blows off the ocean across the land for hundreds of miles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Resource Atlas, wind availability would not be the problem...