Alaskan Renewable Schools- Burning Wood into

Educational Dollars!

Art Nash, Energy Specialist

2013 Arctic Energy SummitOctober 10, 2013

Why do some Alaskan School districts care about energy?

As one Superintendent said- “my job is to keep the school’s staffed with educators, not to become a plant manager”- yet…..

Most of the State’s 53 districts are significantly dependent on formulaic annual revenues from the state.

Many rural communities operate in subsistence economies and may not have a traditional tax base to levy more dollars for education.

The state’s deferred maintenance list may have a facility backlogged when it has immediate needs for repair or upgrades.

Alaskan school districts

Operational biomass projects by feedstock, boiler & year: Alaska Gateway/Tok & Tetlin – Chips in

Messersmith & logs in Tarn (2010 & 2012)

Delta Greely/Delta – Chips in

Messersmith(2011)

Tanana City – Logs in Garn and Econoburn

(2011)

Copper River/Glennallen – Pellets in Pelco

(2013) Southeast Island/Coffman Cove & Thorne Bay

– Logs in Garn Boilers (2010)

Craig City – Chips in Chiptech (2008)

Plentiful feed stock- natural capital

Biomass is widely available in Interior and SE AK from: Forests being cleared for fire remediation. Rivers sending ‘cleaned’ drift logs each spring. Unusable waste product from lumber mills. Wind and beetle kill. Land that is being cleared for development.

What other community development ‘capitals’ are involved in a successful

project?

(Flora, 2008; http://www.soc.iastate.edu/staff/cflora/ncrcrd/capitals.html)

Tok (pop. 1300 on Alcan Highway)

Tok has an arid climate surrounded by thick forest—a recipe for fire disaster.

In the past 25 years, 2 million acres in the area have burned, costing $60 million for fire suppression and causing 6 evacuations.

In 1990, a single fire burned over 100,000 acres (400 km2); in 2004, the fire almost destroyed the school and other city buildings.

Over 1000 firefighters could not stop the fire in 1990.

Low quality Black Spruce cut and deliberately burned for fire remediation (3,000 acres as the target).

Gateway School District

Annual heating and fire remediation costs :

District bought 55,000 gallons of fuel oil ($5.5/gal)-> $300,000.

District paid $350,000/year for utilities. DOF spent $1000/acre for tree removal and disposal.

Annual heating costs after installation of the biomass boiler: 300 tons of chips required for CHP.

Funding sources: $3.2 million grant from Alaska Energy Authority. $750,000 from the State of Alaska. $140,000 in AK Legislative monies for greenhouse

Tok continued….

In 2010, a 5.5 million Btu chip-fired Messersmith biomass boiler system was installed in the 88,000 square foot Tok High School.

In 2011, a steam turbine was added that currently produces 60 -70k (out of 125kW needed during peak times).

This savings of $300,000/year has enabled the recovery of Tok’s preschool program, as well as the rehire of three staff members for the school—a music teacher, counselor, and boiler operator.

Excess heat is still available; a greenhouse is planned to be built to provide vegetables to school lunches as less than 5% of consumed food is domestic

Capital benefitsFinancial-AEA funding, state legislative funds.

Human- Bush savvy superintendent and boilermakers in the community.

Built-Since WWII Tok has been built up along important junction.

Natural – Lots of wood with standing cost.

Political –Currently working to keep tourism to Eagle, AK; yet has not always been united in decision making.

Capital deficits

Social- Frontier mentality in an unorganized area (no local government/count) and no ‘mainstreet’ retail.

Cultural- Nearby tribes, yet Tok is recent community grown along the highway.

Capitals in communities with successful

installations• pride in the community (social)

• a more general wish for self-reliance within the community such as energy independence from Outside suppliers (political)

• creation of local jobs (human)

• concerns about for environmental ethics and stewardship; tied to the land (cultural)

Conclusion In some cases the biomass was already a part of city or tribal

energy conversion and expanded to the school where other cases the school was the initial motivator (i.e. Tok school CHP).

Former usage was diesel (and propane in one case); the prior heaters were left in place as backup.

Most buildings currently heated with wood-fired boilers are not using full capacity, and district heating loops may be installed.

Having a community biomass champion to convince school boards (and teachers!) is crucial.

Large thanks to Alaska Center for

Energy and Power’s Daisy Huang

Art Nash - Energy Specialist and Assistant Extension Professor Cooperative Extension ServiceUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks308 Tanana Drive Fairbanks, AK 99775-6180Phone 907-474-6366Email: alnashjr@alaska.edu

See the blog at http://uafcesenergy.wordpress.comGo to the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UAFCESEnergy?ref=hl