Using diesel more efficiently: reducing consumption, cost and pollution in Alaska.

• Author: Stricker, Julie
• Position: ENERGY

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Alternative power sources, such as wind turbines and hydropower systems, have been generating a lot of interest in the past few years in rural Alaska. What they're not doing yet is generating much power. Diesel is king, and it's got a king-sized cost attached to it.

"The cost of electricity in Bush Alaska is sky high," said Chris Mello, program director for the Alaska Energy Authority. "It's crucial to the survival of the communities to have reliable, affordable energy."

Diesel rules the seas as well. Alaska's fishing and cruise ships all run on diesel power, and they need lots of it--you won't see a Prius engine running a ship on the Discovery Channel's "The Deadliest Catch" series. But amid all the storms, the drama, the breakdowns and the triumphs, what you will see are that the captain and crews of "The Deadliest Catch" are always looking for ways to get the job done better, faster and more efficiently.

A recent initiative added a green component to that effort, and one boat, the F/V Kodiak, has found a way to boost fuel efficiency, save money, reduce maintenance and reduce its carbon footprint in the ecologically sensitive Bering Sea.

The Kodiak, owned by JLAX Fisheries LLC, and its captain, "Wild Bill" Wichrowski, had a system installed in its engine that reduced the amount of diesel fuel it burned by six gallons per hour as well as eliminating the black smoke from the exhaust. A side benefit is the crew no longer has to scrub diesel soot off the boat's sides; time they can spend on trying to haul in more crab.

The system is called the Catalyst Injection System, patented by EcoEmissions Solutions. It is one of the ways Alaskans, who are reliant on diesel fuel to power their boats and their homes, are trying to use fuel more efficiently.

REDUCING COSTS

Diesel fuel is responsible for 94 percent of power production in the 181 rural communities receiving Power Cost Equalization funding. As the cost of fuel has risen--it frequently hovers around $9 or $10 per gallon in some villages--officials have been looking for ways to use that fuel more efficiently.

AEA and the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative have been working with dozens of rural communities to help reduce their energy costs by making the village power plants more efficient, using new technology and heat recovery systems. AEA is overseeing about 50 power plant upgrades in interior Alaska communities, while AVEC has partnered with NANA Regional Corp. in...