I interviewed the president of Enstar, which runs urban Alaska's gas utility, about problems with a storage facility and how they connect to long-term energy challenges facing the region.
The rebuttal doesn’t address John Sims’ point which is simply that renewables are reliably absent when the system peaks. Sims was advocating for dispatchable, reliable electricity. Neither wind nor solar can be used to address base load.
Small nuclear reactors. The exodus has already begun in earnest. I love the tic tok videos of Dick Prenoke. He was a quessential Alaskan if of a different era nonetheless. Hilcorp has already shut in a platform here and daylighted another one. This state is going down by the head. Malfeasance at every level. Ted Stevens was our savior and he’s rolling around in his grave. There are no simple solutions. Get an older model wood stove and a pilotless older propane stove too. You won’t regret it.
How about requiring users to cut back on usage. Like keeping household thermostats at 66 instead of 72. You can wear an extra layer of clothing. From experience I can tell you your body will adapt to to the cooler temperature. A much better option than having no gas at all.
One way to throttle usage might be to give discounts when cheap generation is available and pay the full price when cheap generation is not available. Some EV’s and residential metering can be set up to preferentially charge when cheap generation is available.
Simms mentioned geothermal-why hasn’t Alaska found an economical geothermal field?
Complications abound. I was on rate setting committee for HEA and friends of the TESORO president Gene Burden. HEA blocked PURPA Co-generation and with MEA tried to compete with Chugach which just chewed them up. Positive developments on JBER where Doyon Corp has 50 year contract to supply electricity generated by using Anchorage Muni landfill methane. Right now that is 60% of base power according to Muni, the miltary and Doyon. Close to source use mitigates for tremendous line losses from long transmission lines. Geothermal attractive if people are not afraifd of earthquakes caused by fracking to get it. Mitsubishi offers small nukes and even bought a share of the Pebble propostery to provide a unit. There is a ROW from CI to Donlin on the Kuskokwim which was surveyed by the state as an incentive. The mine owners continue to cite Cook Inlet as the source of power be it gas or gas generated electricity. I remember the motto of Seattle Light and Power: It costs less to save a kilowatt than it does to make one." Time of day power rates, efficient appliances and inscreased dam height for more hydro. ENSTAR, located on Dead Man's Curve in Spenard has a place. Originally it came to be because the military bases (JBER now) piped it from the Kenai to get away from piping fuel from Whittier. Anchorage was on the way so got cheap gas about the time of statehood. Hand always out ENSTAR got a $10,million gift pipeline ending in Homer when Gov Parnell signed the bill when he tried to get re-elected. Natural gas costs continue to rise along that line built when Anc was already facing shortages. Stay warm.
Photovoltaic is the quickest and cheapest to add. Wind turbines are next, but demand for them is high and I believe the lead time for delivery is long. Small scale tidal/river is being developed but there are significant hurdles - both environmental (fish) and engineering/ design.
Seasonality is a problem, but is there a benefit to reducing gas generated power in sunlit months and shifting back in the dark months?
Perhaps it’s time to take the millions being spent by the State on marketing the multi-billion $ gas pipeline and devote it to producing the energy we need instead of supporting a group that spends money and draws salaries while spinning their wheels.
Donlin gold mine near the Kuskowquim River is building a gas line from Cook Inlet, who will get priority the utilities with expiring contracts or the corporation that can pay the Texas billionaire in gold bars? Geothermal leases near the North-East side of Mt. Spurr have been offered off & on for over forty years and there is a good sized lake perched at (if memory serves) over 800 feet, fine high head hydro only 40 miles from the old Beluga power plant and associated electric lines to Anchorage. New modern power lines, wind farms and large solar are proposed near Mt. Susitna, besides at Fire Island only 11 of 44 wind gins planned by CIRI were complete when a Republican mayor stopped the project, Bigger wind generators could complete that sabatoged project. Lots of fossil fuel politics & interest.
I have a wood stove, wood is plentiful. I have A diesel furnace. Diesel isn’t cheap but it’s there. Propane three ways to Sunday. Water is pretty good here. No mention and not a peep about viable solutions long term going forward whatsoever. This problem is getting very dicey and it’s hard to see any future solutions that won’t drive people in droves away from here because the government had every chance in the world to get this right I believe and they were too busy partying at the baranof and grifting billions away to nonsensical projects that made people wealthy and created a couple jobs and grew state government into a well oiled cabal that did basically nothing fir the people of this state except the well connected. I said it before and I’ll say it again Nero is fiddling while Rome is starting to burn.
I wasn’t very surprised to see that the Alaska Gas Development Corporation is in the process of pumping the idea that it should take the lead in solving the Cook Inlet gas shortage by peddling a shorter gas pipeline. I really thought that idea had been pursued and abandoned long ago.
Since the CEO costs the State around $400,000 a year, the Corporation probably costs close to 1 million a year without taking any action. It’s past time to shut this down and tell those who have been living off this dream at Alaskans’ expense to find a productive job.
There is a big difference between John Sims and the individual allowed to rebut him. It is telling that the rebuttal first aims to assassinate the character of Mr. Sims. John has actual reasonability to provide a vital utility to the public. He employs hundreds of Alaskans, and he has a track record of professional accomplishment. He has to deliver and can't hide behind slogans and untruths. He contributes to society, versus leaching off society. A proper rebuttal would have better come from someone who actually produces power from wind or solar and has a similar level of responsibility.
The rebuttal doesn’t address John Sims’ point which is simply that renewables are reliably absent when the system peaks. Sims was advocating for dispatchable, reliable electricity. Neither wind nor solar can be used to address base load.
Small nuclear reactors. The exodus has already begun in earnest. I love the tic tok videos of Dick Prenoke. He was a quessential Alaskan if of a different era nonetheless. Hilcorp has already shut in a platform here and daylighted another one. This state is going down by the head. Malfeasance at every level. Ted Stevens was our savior and he’s rolling around in his grave. There are no simple solutions. Get an older model wood stove and a pilotless older propane stove too. You won’t regret it.
Not many can live like Dick Premoke
How about requiring users to cut back on usage. Like keeping household thermostats at 66 instead of 72. You can wear an extra layer of clothing. From experience I can tell you your body will adapt to to the cooler temperature. A much better option than having no gas at all.
Cut back too much at minus temps and the pipes start to freeze wether you throw a coat on them or not
Then 50 then 40.
I’ve done ok at 60. Outside camping 40 50 ok but not sure inside. Probably Doable but not pleasant.
One way to throttle usage might be to give discounts when cheap generation is available and pay the full price when cheap generation is not available. Some EV’s and residential metering can be set up to preferentially charge when cheap generation is available.
Simms mentioned geothermal-why hasn’t Alaska found an economical geothermal field?
Complications abound. I was on rate setting committee for HEA and friends of the TESORO president Gene Burden. HEA blocked PURPA Co-generation and with MEA tried to compete with Chugach which just chewed them up. Positive developments on JBER where Doyon Corp has 50 year contract to supply electricity generated by using Anchorage Muni landfill methane. Right now that is 60% of base power according to Muni, the miltary and Doyon. Close to source use mitigates for tremendous line losses from long transmission lines. Geothermal attractive if people are not afraifd of earthquakes caused by fracking to get it. Mitsubishi offers small nukes and even bought a share of the Pebble propostery to provide a unit. There is a ROW from CI to Donlin on the Kuskokwim which was surveyed by the state as an incentive. The mine owners continue to cite Cook Inlet as the source of power be it gas or gas generated electricity. I remember the motto of Seattle Light and Power: It costs less to save a kilowatt than it does to make one." Time of day power rates, efficient appliances and inscreased dam height for more hydro. ENSTAR, located on Dead Man's Curve in Spenard has a place. Originally it came to be because the military bases (JBER now) piped it from the Kenai to get away from piping fuel from Whittier. Anchorage was on the way so got cheap gas about the time of statehood. Hand always out ENSTAR got a $10,million gift pipeline ending in Homer when Gov Parnell signed the bill when he tried to get re-elected. Natural gas costs continue to rise along that line built when Anc was already facing shortages. Stay warm.
Best comment on this whole thread.
Photovoltaic is the quickest and cheapest to add. Wind turbines are next, but demand for them is high and I believe the lead time for delivery is long. Small scale tidal/river is being developed but there are significant hurdles - both environmental (fish) and engineering/ design.
Seasonality is a problem, but is there a benefit to reducing gas generated power in sunlit months and shifting back in the dark months?
Perhaps it’s time to take the millions being spent by the State on marketing the multi-billion $ gas pipeline and devote it to producing the energy we need instead of supporting a group that spends money and draws salaries while spinning their wheels.
Donlin gold mine near the Kuskowquim River is building a gas line from Cook Inlet, who will get priority the utilities with expiring contracts or the corporation that can pay the Texas billionaire in gold bars? Geothermal leases near the North-East side of Mt. Spurr have been offered off & on for over forty years and there is a good sized lake perched at (if memory serves) over 800 feet, fine high head hydro only 40 miles from the old Beluga power plant and associated electric lines to Anchorage. New modern power lines, wind farms and large solar are proposed near Mt. Susitna, besides at Fire Island only 11 of 44 wind gins planned by CIRI were complete when a Republican mayor stopped the project, Bigger wind generators could complete that sabatoged project. Lots of fossil fuel politics & interest.
I have a wood stove, wood is plentiful. I have A diesel furnace. Diesel isn’t cheap but it’s there. Propane three ways to Sunday. Water is pretty good here. No mention and not a peep about viable solutions long term going forward whatsoever. This problem is getting very dicey and it’s hard to see any future solutions that won’t drive people in droves away from here because the government had every chance in the world to get this right I believe and they were too busy partying at the baranof and grifting billions away to nonsensical projects that made people wealthy and created a couple jobs and grew state government into a well oiled cabal that did basically nothing fir the people of this state except the well connected. I said it before and I’ll say it again Nero is fiddling while Rome is starting to burn.
I wasn’t very surprised to see that the Alaska Gas Development Corporation is in the process of pumping the idea that it should take the lead in solving the Cook Inlet gas shortage by peddling a shorter gas pipeline. I really thought that idea had been pursued and abandoned long ago.
Since the CEO costs the State around $400,000 a year, the Corporation probably costs close to 1 million a year without taking any action. It’s past time to shut this down and tell those who have been living off this dream at Alaskans’ expense to find a productive job.
There is a big difference between John Sims and the individual allowed to rebut him. It is telling that the rebuttal first aims to assassinate the character of Mr. Sims. John has actual reasonability to provide a vital utility to the public. He employs hundreds of Alaskans, and he has a track record of professional accomplishment. He has to deliver and can't hide behind slogans and untruths. He contributes to society, versus leaching off society. A proper rebuttal would have better come from someone who actually produces power from wind or solar and has a similar level of responsibility.