The Cost of Energy Taskforce has been tremendously successful. This group worked to accomplish the goals outlined below, developed an Energy Plan and evaluated fuel sources that could be moved into production.

The Taskforce made 3 reccommendations for our community:

1. Conservation
2. the Susitina Project
3. a Gasification/Biomass/Coal to Liquids project.

All three of these reccommendations are being addressed through various avenues, for example the home energy and effeciency loan and rebate program for more information visit the Portal website. For updates on theGasification/Biomass/Coal to Liquids project, please see our Energy projecs page.

Currently, the Cost of Energy Taskforce is looking into the Energy infrastructure of our community and next steps. If you would like to participate, please subscribe to our 'think tank' e-mail list and we will make sure you receive all the pertinent information!

Upcoming Meetings:

The Cost of Energy Taskforce Meetings are at 7am in the FEDC office.

Please contact the office for an updated schedule of meetings.

2007 Cost of Energy

The Cost of Energy Taskforce has been asked to take a look at specific opportunities that exist in Fairbanks that can be deployed in the near term.

Our short term goal will be to evaluate a fuel source that can be moved into production.

Our long-term goal is to create an Energy Research Center and selection of an energy production business model to reduce the cost of energy in Fairbanks.

There are several issues looming in Fairbanks that will need to be addressed, such as:

PM 2.5 (Particulate matter above 2.5 microns)

Waste Stream use (paper, plastics, tires and metals)

Cost of energy (our original goal: to reduce the cost of energy)

Sustainability

Global Warming (CO2 reduction), the new buzz is reduction of greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide.

The apparent target to beat is the best combined-cycle gas turbine running on natural gas.

Green energy (helping ourselves and others meet renewable portfolio standards (RPS)

Economic Development (local jobs and economic diversification and growth)

Wildfire mitigation zones (fire buffers around populated areas)

The fuel supply should be vertically integrated, economic, long-term stable priced, and sustainable.

There are several options with differing strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats:

1) Waste-to-Energy - Uses municipal waste stream

          Paper and plant based fuel

                    CO2 neutral

2) Trucked LNG-Cost Stable

            Reduced Particulate

3) Coal Gasification - Water remediation

           Reduced CO2 over PC technology

                      Uses waste coal

4) Biomass gasification - Green fuel

CO2 neutral

          Wild fire mitigation

Big step toward RPS

 

5) Biomass extraction - Green fuel

Sales of ethanol for automobiles

CO2 neutral

Cellulose for for waste-to-energy

Sale of other extracted chemicals

Wild fire mitigation

Big step toward RPS

The work product from this effort should be a completed SWOT analysis and a feasibility study that identifies a range of costs per million BTU for each energy option.

Meeting Minutes

Archived minutes