Denver, Colo.-based Southwest Windpower, in conjunction with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and Anchorage-based Susitna Energy Systems, installed three Skystream 3.7 wind turbines, which will power ANTHC’s two-year-old state-of-the-art water plant.
Goodnews Bay, one of Alaska's poorest communities, is a coastal village located about 500 miles west of Anchorage and is the home of about 250 residents.
Until the wind turbines became operational last month, the village was completely reliant on diesel generators to supply its electricity.
Because of the remote location, diesel must be imported by boat or aircraft, further adding to the cost of this energy source.
The wind turbines are projected to supply approximately 75 percent of the roughly 18,000 kWh consumed annually by the facility. In high wind conditions, excess energy produced by the wind turbines will be distributed amongst the village through a micro-grid.
“The wind turbines take advantage of an available natural resource and will be used to offset electrical power demands for the water system and ultimately make sanitation and improved health more sustainable for the community,” said John Warren, P.E., Engineering Services Director, Division of Environmental Health and Engineering (DEHE), Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).
According to Greg Erdmann, VP Sales and Marketing at Southwest Windpower, the Goodnews Bay project is great example of small-scale wind energy systems helping people while also saving money and fostering a sense of self-sufficiency.
“Our new corporate tag-line is ‘Energy where it matters’ and this is a perfect example of our products providing on-site energy for village electrification projects in developing and remote areas of the world,” he said.
Wind speeds at the village are classified as “Class 5” or “Excellent” by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Skystream 3.7 wind turbines by Southwest Windpower were selected because they provide an affordable cost of energy and have been proven effective other village electrification projects in coastal regions of Alaska, such as a 10 Skystream micro-grid for the village Perryville installed in 2008.
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