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Rural Alaskan village turns to clean energy to save money
Rural Alaskan village turns to clean energy to save money

The Star

time11-07-2025

  • Business
  • The Star

Rural Alaskan village turns to clean energy to save money

Eric Huntington built his dream cabin nestled in the wilderness of central Alaska, eventually raising two daughters there. But over the years, he learned that living in this quiet, remote village came with a hefty cost. Every year, the Huntington family spent about US$7,000 (RM30,000) on diesel to heat the cabin during bone-chilling winters, and a few years back, a power outage at the town's diesel plant left residents freezing in minus 50°F (about minus 45°C). When power finally returned hours later, water pipes had frozen, leaving about two dozen homes without running water for days. 'We just didn't open our door all morning until the lights came back on,' said Huntington, a member of the local Louden Tribe. Jake Pogrebinsky collects a log floating down the Yukon River to be used for firewood or construction. In Galena, a sprawling village of 400 people on the banks of the Yukon River, a community built around a former military base is shifting to clean energy in an effort to reduce its reliance on expensive, imported diesel. Local leaders say their nearly completed solar farm, along with an existing biomass plant, will boost the town's savings and protect residents from blackouts during extreme weather. The technology has the potential to provide clean backup power in emergencies and improve the power grid's resiliency, all while diversifying the village's energy sources and providing job opportunities for locals. The projects come at a precarious time for renewable energy transition in the United States. The Trump administration has cancelled billions of dollars of clean energy grants in an effort to bolster fossil fuel production, and billions more in investments have been scrapped or delayed this year. Kalke, general manager of Sustainable Energy for Galena, Alaska, watches as some of his workers split logs. So far, the village's federal grants for the solar array haven't been impacted, but local leaders know the risk remains. Whatever the future of public funding, the village is an example of how renewable energies can save costs, boost reliability during extreme weather and create jobs. Once online, the solar array will ensure that the village's power grid has a backup system, said Tim Kalke, general manager of Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska – or Sega – a nonprofit that will operate it. So when the power goes out, it doesn't result in tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, he added, and heat is guaranteed in times of extreme cold. 'You're dealing with life, health and safety,' he said. Kalke, general manager of Sustainable Energy for Galena, Alaska, watches as some of his workers split logs. In May, dozens of high school students in navy blue caps and gowns stood with nervous excitement in a locker-brimmed hallway, each waiting their turn to walk through yellow tinsel into a packed auditorium. It was graduation day for Galena Interior Learning Academy. The school's vocational training courses and cultural offerings attract some 200 students annually from across Alaska, boosting the village's population and energy needs. Students here can take classes on sustainable energy, aviation, carpentry and much more. But in order to keep it running – especially during long, cold winters - it needs heat. Joe Cleaver II (left) and Derrick Esmailka build an energy-efficient home. That's where the biomass project comes in. Every winter since 2016, trees (mostly paper birch) are locally harvested and shredded into wood chips that fuel a large boiler plant on campus, offsetting about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 litres) of diesel annually for the school district and the city, said Brad Scotton, a Galena City Council member who also serves on Sega's board. It's notable as one of the state's first large-scale biomass plants and is the most rural, he added. Cost savings from using biomass has allowed the Galena City School District to hire certified professionals in trade jobs and do upkeep on campus facilities, said district superintendent Jason R. Johnson in an email. It's also created a local workforce and a job base the village never used to have. 'It's keeping the money that used to go outside within the community and providing pretty meaningful jobs for people,' Scotton said. From left: Nathan Moses, Morris Demoski and Marissa McCarty deliver wood to an elder. In rural areas of Alaska, the costs for many goods can be high, as they must be brought in. Galena burns just under 400,000 gallons (1.5 million litres) of diesel annually to produce electricity, and an energy price hike around 2008 helped the village realise something needed to change. Scotton remembered when a gallon of diesel was US$1.64 (RM7) and then skyrocketed to US$4.58 (RM19.50) another year. At that wholesale price, the city was paying more than US$1.8mil (RM7.66mil) to keep the lights on. 'It was really quite a shock to everybody's system in terms of trying to operate with those elevated costs,' said Scotton. 'So that really got the community assessing whether or not we could continue business as usual with that reliance.' That's when they started looking for grants to build a solar array. Piles of logs harvested by Sustainable Energy for Galena, Alaska, sit out to dry to be used in a biomass heating system at the Galena Interior Learning Academy. On an overcast May day, on a field flanked by boreal forests, workers in reflective safety vests slotted rectangular panels on a metal grid. They were working on the nearly-completed, 1.5 megawatt solar farm that will connect to a battery system. Once in use, the community will be able to turn off its diesel engines and run on 100% clean, renewable energy on sunny summer days, and any excess power will be battery stored for nights, emergencies or heating the local indoor pool. The solar array will allow them to shut off the diesel operation between 800 to 1,000 hours a year, totalling about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 litres). The solar farm won't necessarily lower people's electricity bills. But like the biomass plant, the hope is that it will stabilise energy costs, allowing those savings to go back into the community, all while providing work opportunities for residents like Aaren Sommer. Workers install panels at a solar project. Last year, the 19-year-old graduated from the academy, where he learned about solar energy. Now he's helping to install the solar array. 'That's going to reduce the diesel usage a whole bunch over at the power plant, which is going to help us out,' he said. In addition to the solar farm and biomass project, the Louden Tribe is building new energy-efficient homes that will help members be less reliant on diesel. Some of the siding used in the homes comes from wood harvested in the area. In November, the Huntington family moved into a new, stilted house with a solar-compatible roof, 13in (33cm) walls and 18in (46cm) of insulation to keep the cold at bay. When they lived in the cabin, the US$7,000 (RM30,000) a year Huntington spent on diesel was a good chunk of his annual income. The new home's energy-efficient features are already saving them money. The 300 gallon (1,130 litres) diesel tank Huntington filled before moving cost him about US$$2,400 (RM10,000) Six months later, he still has unused fuel in the tank. The Huntingtons are one of eight families the tribe has moved into sustainable homes, and they will turn over the keys to three more this year. Kalke, Sega's general manager, is often asked what Galena produces. He used to just say education. 'But since 2016 you can say education and wood chips. And soon, solar energy,' he said. – AP

PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs
PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs

Yahoo

time30-06-2025

  • General
  • Yahoo

PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs

GALENA, Alaska (AP) — As ice breaks on the Yukon River, Jake Pogrebinsky looks at the water from shore, searching for a large log floating downstream. When he spots one, he hops into his wooden motorboat and roars toward it, chainsawing any roots or branches that might still be attached, a hand-rolled cigarette never far from his lips. Then he drags the log with a rope toward shore, where eventually it will be used in the community here in central Alaska. Pogrebinsky, 59, has been collecting driftwood in this remote, sprawling village of Galena for as long as he can remember. It's part of his job, but it also brings him great joy. 'Doing this, it's the greatest time,' he said. Plucking logs from the river provides jobs and heating Naturally felled and chopped trees and logs have long journeyed down rivers and oceans, transported by winds, waves, currents and ice, some eventually swooped up by people for building, heating, tools and more. Indigenous people have done the practice for millennia and it continues today. Rather than paying to barge or fly in wood, Galena residents say gathering floating logs not only saves money and energy, but also allows people to connect with their environment. 'It provides local jobs. We're using local materials, we're using local labor,' said Brooke Sanderson, tribal administrator for the local Louden Tribe. Most of the collected driftwood becomes firewood for heating during bone-chilling winters, but it is also transformed into sidings for new energy efficient homes being built for members of the Louden Tribe. Collecting large floating logs is just one of the village's sustainable practices: For nearly a decade, locally harvested trees have been shredded into wood chips that heat a bustling boarding school. And soon, a nearly-completed solar farm will curb the town's reliance on expensive, imported diesel. In the summer of 2024, the tribe set up a sawmill — which Pogrebinsky operates — to process driftwood and trees into lumber. They had tried to harvest trees off the land but it was too time consuming and labor intensive, said Sanderson. Collecting driftwood, she said, was more worth people's time. Pogrebinsky can tell you all the reasons why. For one, the river carries a lot of good wood the village generally wouldn't have. 'The quality of material is very high. ... They can be permanent materials that would last decades." And by the time he catches a driftwood, most of the logging and branch removal has been done, and the bark has washed away. 'It's amazing. It saves so much energy,' said Pogrebinsky. A good season brings in so much driftwood that you can hardly see the water, he added, and a boat is nearly impossible to use. Pulling out driftwood also has environmental benefits Enda Murphy, assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of British Columbia who has researched coastal driftwood, said too much can smother vegetation in sensitive ecosystems and consume oxygen that fish and other species need. But these floating logs can also transport seeds, plants and serve as perches for birds and hiding spots for fish. A big question researchers are still working to answer is: How much is too much? And when does it start having adverse impacts on the environment? 'This is something that we don't really fully understand,' said Murphy. With Pogrebinsky's help, the Louden Tribe is working to get more people to collect driftwood from the river and sell it to the sawmill, and in the process reap all the benefits of being in nature. 'A big part of the idea is to encourage people to go out and do this. To see the value of this. To experience all the marvelous things that I have experienced,' said Pogrebinsky. ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit

PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs
PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs

Associated Press

time30-06-2025

  • General
  • Associated Press

PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs

GALENA, Alaska (AP) — As ice breaks on the Yukon River, Jake Pogrebinsky looks at the water from shore, searching for a large log floating downstream. When he spots one, he hops into his wooden motorboat and roars toward it, chainsawing any roots or branches that might still be attached, a hand-rolled cigarette never far from his lips. Then he drags the log with a rope toward shore, where eventually it will be used in the community here in central Alaska. Pogrebinsky, 59, has been collecting driftwood in this remote, sprawling village of Galena for as long as he can remember. It's part of his job, but it also brings him great joy. 'Doing this, it's the greatest time,' he said. Plucking logs from the river provides jobs and heating Naturally felled and chopped trees and logs have long journeyed down rivers and oceans, transported by winds, waves, currents and ice, some eventually swooped up by people for building, heating, tools and more. Indigenous people have done the practice for millennia and it continues today. Rather than paying to barge or fly in wood, Galena residents say gathering floating logs not only saves money and energy, but also allows people to connect with their environment. 'It provides local jobs. We're using local materials, we're using local labor,' said Brooke Sanderson, tribal administrator for the local Louden Tribe. Most of the collected driftwood becomes firewood for heating during bone-chilling winters, but it is also transformed into sidings for new energy efficient homes being built for members of the Louden Tribe. Collecting large floating logs is just one of the village's sustainable practices: For nearly a decade, locally harvested trees have been shredded into wood chips that heat a bustling boarding school. And soon, a nearly-completed solar farm will curb the town's reliance on expensive, imported diesel. In the summer of 2024, the tribe set up a sawmill — which Pogrebinsky operates — to process driftwood and trees into lumber. They had tried to harvest trees off the land but it was too time consuming and labor intensive, said Sanderson. Collecting driftwood, she said, was more worth people's time. Pogrebinsky can tell you all the reasons why. For one, the river carries a lot of good wood the village generally wouldn't have. 'The quality of material is very high. ... They can be permanent materials that would last decades.' And by the time he catches a driftwood, most of the logging and branch removal has been done, and the bark has washed away. 'It's amazing. It saves so much energy,' said Pogrebinsky. A good season brings in so much driftwood that you can hardly see the water, he added, and a boat is nearly impossible to use. Pulling out driftwood also has environmental benefits Enda Murphy, assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of British Columbia who has researched coastal driftwood, said too much can smother vegetation in sensitive ecosystems and consume oxygen that fish and other species need. But these floating logs can also transport seeds, plants and serve as perches for birds and hiding spots for fish. A big question researchers are still working to answer is: How much is too much? And when does it start having adverse impacts on the environment? 'This is something that we don't really fully understand,' said Murphy. With Pogrebinsky's help, the Louden Tribe is working to get more people to collect driftwood from the river and sell it to the sawmill, and in the process reap all the benefits of being in nature. 'A big part of the idea is to encourage people to go out and do this. To see the value of this. To experience all the marvelous things that I have experienced,' said Pogrebinsky. ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit

PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs
PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs

The Independent

time30-06-2025

  • General
  • The Independent

PHOTO ESSAY: In rural Alaska, collecting driftwood saves time, money and brings jobs

As ice breaks on the Yukon River, Jake Pogrebinsky looks at the water from shore, searching for a large log floating downstream. When he spots one, he hops into his wooden motorboat and roars toward it, chainsawing any roots or branches that might still be attached, a hand-rolled cigarette never far from his lips. Then he drags the log with a rope toward shore, where eventually it will be used in the community here in central Alaska. Pogrebinsky, 59, has been collecting driftwood in this remote, sprawling village of Galena for as long as he can remember. It's part of his job, but it also brings him great joy. 'Doing this, it's the greatest time,' he said. Plucking logs from the river provides jobs and heating Naturally felled and chopped trees and logs have long journeyed down rivers and oceans, transported by winds, waves, currents and ice, some eventually swooped up by people for building, heating, tools and more. Indigenous people have done the practice for millennia and it continues today. Rather than paying to barge or fly in wood, Galena residents say gathering floating logs not only saves money and energy, but also allows people to connect with their environment. 'It provides local jobs. We're using local materials, we're using local labor,' said Brooke Sanderson, tribal administrator for the local Louden Tribe. Most of the collected driftwood becomes firewood for heating during bone-chilling winters, but it is also transformed into sidings for new energy efficient homes being built for members of the Louden Tribe. Collecting large floating logs is just one of the village's sustainable practices: For nearly a decade, locally harvested trees have been shredded into wood chips that heat a bustling boarding school. And soon, a nearly-completed solar farm will curb the town's reliance on expensive, imported diesel. In the summer of 2024, the tribe set up a sawmill — which Pogrebinsky operates — to process driftwood and trees into lumber. They had tried to harvest trees off the land but it was too time consuming and labor intensive, said Sanderson. Collecting driftwood, she said, was more worth people's time. Pogrebinsky can tell you all the reasons why. For one, the river carries a lot of good wood the village generally wouldn't have. 'The quality of material is very high. ... They can be permanent materials that would last decades." And by the time he catches a driftwood, most of the logging and branch removal has been done, and the bark has washed away. 'It's amazing. It saves so much energy,' said Pogrebinsky. A good season brings in so much driftwood that you can hardly see the water, he added, and a boat is nearly impossible to use. Pulling out driftwood also has environmental benefits Enda Murphy, assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of British Columbia who has researched coastal driftwood, said too much can smother vegetation in sensitive ecosystems and consume oxygen that fish and other species need. But these floating logs can also transport seeds, plants and serve as perches for birds and hiding spots for fish. A big question researchers are still working to answer is: How much is too much? And when does it start having adverse impacts on the environment? 'This is something that we don't really fully understand,' said Murphy. With Pogrebinsky's help, the Louden Tribe is working to get more people to collect driftwood from the river and sell it to the sawmill, and in the process reap all the benefits of being in nature. 'A big part of the idea is to encourage people to go out and do this. To see the value of this. To experience all the marvelous things that I have experienced,' said Pogrebinsky. ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. ___

In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices
In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices

Yahoo

time28-06-2025

  • General
  • Yahoo

In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices

GALENA, Alaska (AP) — In rural central Alaska, a village is in the midst of a clean energy transformation that locals say will boost savings, build resilience and provide jobs. Galena wants to curb its reliance on expensive, imported diesel that when burned is one of the largest contributors of planet-warming emissions. Nearly 10 years ago, the village started harvesting trees to fuel a biomass plant to heat its bustling boarding school, offsetting about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 liters) of diesel annually. The local Louden Tribe is encouraging people to collect floating logs from the Yukon River that can be used for firewood and siding for the sustainable homes they're building for members. And soon a 1.5-megawatt solar farm will allow the city to turn off its diesel engines and run on 100% clean, renewable energy on sunny summer days, with excess power stored in a battery for later use. That will save another 100,000 gallons annually. The Associated Press talked to residents about their village's sustainable and renewable energy projects. Here are some of their reflections: Tim Kalke, 46, general manager at Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska 'We're just ensuring that our critical infrastructure has redundancy and protection built into it, so that every time there's a power outage, it doesn't turn into tens of thousands of dollars in repairs in its wake.' Jade Thurmond, 20, a Galena resident working on the solar farm 'I'm really excited for when we are using it and how we'll reduce our diesel usage. I think that would be pretty fun to see and to hear about in the future, and see what comes along.' Jake Pogrebinsky, 54, a sawmill operator for Louden Tribe and driftwood collector 'Instead of having to make money to pay for barge freight or to buy materials, you are spending your time out on the river. For a young person, as a lesson, as a skill-building activity, it cannot possibly be compared to.' Brad Scotton, 54, a Galena city council member 'What (the biomass plant) has done is stabilize (costs), and it's created a local workforce and a job base that we never used to have. So it's keeping the money that used to go outside within the community and providing pretty meaningful jobs for people.' Will Kramer, 29, an applied mechanics instructor at Galena Interior Learning Academy 'We are just at the whim of whatever somebody else that wants to make all the money off of us is saying and doing. And being able to install and integrate these systems in these communities, it kind of gives the freedom back to the communities.' Phil Koontz, 74 , a retired environmental engineer for the Louden Tribe 'It would be very hard to live here without outside resources. I see fuel as probably the main outside resource that we use. It provides most of the electricity, it provides most of the transportation, it provides most of the heat. I don't know what we're going to do without those things. One of the solutions I see is efficiency, reducing the need for energy to produce the same result, better insulated houses, better vehicles, better energy sources.' Aaren Sommer, 19, a Galena resident helping install the solar array The array is 'going to reduce the diesel usage a whole bunch over at the power plant, which is going to help us out.' ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit

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