From Alan Sorum’s essay,  Appropriate Use of Technology for Power Generation in Alaska.

Alaska does not currently support large-scale electric utilities. There also needs to be a minimal number of customers served by each power line to justify its construction. Weather can be severe and cause failures in the system. This increases costs and accessibility for repairs. Many residents live beyond the economical limits of connection to commercial electric utilities.

Small-scale power systems in rural Alaska offer potential improvements in power distribution, generation and efficiency.

Distribution performance can be improved by the use of small-scale power generators. Smaller generators can be placed much closer to the actual point of consumption. Disruptions to the power supply are reduced and access for line repairs is much easier. Short power lines lose less power in transmission, and the power delivered is “cleaner”, since there are fewer opportunities for broken insulators and lightning storms.

Gas or diesel fired co-generation produces power efficiently, utilizing fuel cells and waste heat for community needs. Hybrid generation systems feature a primary generator, powered by diesel, natural gas. wind or hydro. A computerized inverter allows the primary to charge large banks of storage batteries. During periods of low consumption, the generator shuts down and the system runs off of power from the batteries. Trace Engineering builds a system like this that also allows wind or small hydro to charge the batteries.

Saving energy within a household has the greatest impact on the overall costs for an entire system. There are many ways to save energy in a household. These include super-insulation, using energy efficient light bulbs and appliances, installing high-performance windows and improved conservation techniques.

Rural residents are vulnerable to high costs of power, poor weather conditions, power distribution failures and lack of available support services. The rural versus urban appropriation of state resources will continue to generate debate in Alaska. It is likely funds provided for the power cost equalization program will continue to decline.

Small-scale power generation systems that utilize renewable energy resources could be a bright spot in the future of Alaska. Rural residents can expect improvements to their quality of life with the advent of affordable and reliable electrical power. Using appropriate technology for power generation and distribution makes good sense for the natural capitalists living in rural areas of our state.

Alaska is an extreme example of the necessity of distributing, decentralizing, or localizing power grids – and making consumption as frugal as possible.

Popular Logistics found Sorum’s essay on Google’s Knol system. We think it may have been first published on Suite101.com.

Mr. Sorum has also written good pieces on marine safety and emergency communications, which we hope to excerpt in the near future.