Opinion: Alaska shouldn’t miss out on the clean energy revolution

Has been updated: 32 few minutes ago release date: 32 few minutes ago

An energy revolution is sweeping the United States, but Alaskans are being left behind. Community solar power is the fastest growing sector in the renewable energy industry, with his 2,500 projects totaling more than 7.3 gigawatts of capacity being deployed in other parts of the United States. These projects are saving households billions of dollars on their electricity bills. But not a single project has been built in Alaska’s rail belt.

Community solar is a model in which a group of citizens invest in a solar array off their property and share the benefits. This model allows renters, small businesses, and other individuals who cannot install a rooftop solar array (most Americans) to own a stake in a larger solar farm. These subscribers can save money on their monthly electricity bills.

There are various reasons why community solar power has not yet taken off in Alaska. Most importantly, Alaska has not passed legislation that would provide a clear regulatory and market framework for solar power development. Until recently, Alaska regulators had not approved community solar projects. With no projects in the state and regulatory guidelines unclear, project developers and independent power producers (who build most of the community solar power in the U.S.) have doubts that Alaska will allow them to start operations. Not yet.

Fortunately, bipartisan legislation, SB 152 and HB 328 (“Saving Alaskans Money with Voluntary District Energy” or the SAVE Act), has been proposed by Sens. Bill Wilechowski (D-Anchorage) and Frank -Introduced by Senator Tomaszewski (R-Fairbanks). Development of community energy projects. This law not only allows community solar power generation, but also empowers opportunities for community-scale wind, hydropower, battery storage, and geothermal power generation. SB 152 passed the Senate unanimously on April 22nd (Earth Day). I hope the House acts quickly to pass the bill.

This legislation makes billions of dollars in private loans and federal incentives available to give Alaskans a significant boost in the adoption of low-cost local power generation, further diversifying sources of generation, and consuming it at critical moments. You will be able to save a lot of money on your fees.

Alaska cannot afford to wait any longer to energize its communities. We are facing an energy crisis on many fronts.

First, the rail belt is likely to run out of natural gas within a few years. Enstar estimates that gas shortages could occur in Alaska as early as 2027. We need to bring new power sources online as soon as possible, especially those that can reduce gas-fired generation. We need to conserve gas for its most valuable use: home heating. If passed this session, the SAVE Act would allow for the rapid and large-scale deployment of solar power, wind power, and battery storage. A great example is New England. There, abundant distributed solar power is helping to decommission expensive power plants and stabilize the power grid. Combined with tight power pools and transmission reforms, regional energy can provide the resources needed to reduce gas consumption across Alaska’s rail corridors.

Second, Alaskans need energy choice and competition. Although most Alaskans broadly support solar power and renewable energy, most Alaskans rent, have a shade roof, have low credit scores, or don’t have enough capital to pay for a solar array upfront. You cannot directly benefit from solar power. Why are we discriminating against renters and other hard-working Alaskans by allowing only some homeowners to invest in low-cost power generation?

Third, energy costs need to come down. Alaskans already face the second-highest average electricity bills in the nation. Anchorage’s electricity costs are expected to rise 6% in 2024, he said, and Fairbanks’ costs are currently nearing 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. Gas imports are expected to significantly increase costs in the near future. State leaders need to act now to unleash creative energy solutions that bring peace of mind to ratepayers.

Solar power is the cheapest electricity in human history, and community solar power is a proven model that can save consumers 10-15% on their annual energy bills. The main reason the Alaska Regulatory Commission supports this bill is cost. Chairman Robert Doyle recently told the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee that RCA supports community solar “because it actually saves people money.”

The SAVE Act creates a clear framework to enable community energy development. We want to replicate and scale the success and cost savings Alaskans have seen with rooftop solar over the past decade. Households are installing over 13 megawatts of distributed clean generation at an impressive growth rate.

If you want to lower your monthly energy bills, achieve greater energy freedom, and help build the cheap, clean power we need to diversify our power grid, write a letter to your representative expressing your support for the SAVE Act. please. Community energy is a common-sense solution that can help solve the critical energy challenges we face. Our future will be brighter if Alaskans have access to energy choices and investment in low-cost, clean energy.

philip wight I am a policy analyst at Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG). He lives in Esther.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a wide range of viewpoints.To submit your work for consideration, please send an email Commentary(at)adn.com. Submissions of less than 200 words should be sent to: Letters@adn.com or Click here to submit from any web browser.Read all guidelines for letters and comments here.