Solar Projects Energizing Remote Alaska Communities
A new solar and energy storage project is being installed in the Northwest Arctic community of Shungnak.
A press release issued by states that the company is under contract with the Northwest Arctic Borough with assistance from NANA Regional Corp. for the engineering, procurement and construction of a 223.5-kilowatt solar photovoltaic ground-mount project.
The construction crews will include laborers, carpenters and a cook. Crew members will be hired from Shungnak and Kobuk if available.
It's exciting to see the installation of another community-scale solar array with storage in rural Alaska, said ACEP researcher Michelle Wilber. A local installer, using local hires to capture a local resource to produce electricity is inspiring and shows the true capabilities of our amazing state.
A total of 552 bifacial solar panels will be installed. Additionally, the project will provide a battery energy storage system with a 250-kW/384-kilowatt-hour battery and integration system into the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative power plant. The system is expected to produce over 230,000 kWh of electricity a year.
It is interesting to see more use of bifacial panels in northern climates, an active area of study by ACEP, said ACEP Solar Technologies Program manager Erin Whitney.
Whitneys team recently released a report titled .
Alaska Native Renewable Industries installed the states largest rural solar farm in Kotzebue. ANRI photo.