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[Episode #258] – Alaska’s Railbelt Utilities

Sep 10 2025

Mini Episode

Alaska is an energy superpower with more untapped renewable resources than most countries. Yet its largest population, in the Anchorage area, faces a real risk of blackouts beginning in 2027 due to declining gas supply from the nearby Cook Inlet gas field, which is likely to force this historical major supplier of oil and gas to import LNG to keep its residents warm and keep the lights on. A key part of getting ahead of the crisis is addressing transmission dysfunction so severe that it turns 6-cent renewable electricity into 20-cent retail power due to 'pancaking' tariffs.

In this episode, we explore Alaska's sole electricity transmission grid, which connects most of the major population centers along what is called the Railbelt. We learn about how Railbelt utilities are part of a system that's overbuilt, unoptimized, unnecessarily expensive, and slow to change. For example, four rural electric cooperatives built more than $1 billion in unnecessary gas generation between 2012-2016 while knowing gas supplies were declining. Despite sitting atop an estimated 18 gigawatts of tidal energy potential in Cook Inlet alone, the four Railbelt cooperatives lack economic dispatch coordination, wasting tens of million annually through inefficient scheduling of gas-fired generation. The Railbelt utilities could transition away from their dependence on gas and toward the vast renewable resources surrounding them, but it would take a kind of political leadership that is currently lacking in the state. We dive into how the regulatory agencies could help Alaska transition to renewables, as well as why they haven't done so thus far.

We also take a quick look at the future of Alaska's famous oil pipeline, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), and some of the expectations for nuclear power in the state.

This episode is the third and final part of our miniseries about the energy transition in Alaska.

Guest #1:

Chris Rose is the founder and Executive Director of Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP), a non-profit coalition of over 60 diverse energy stakeholder organizations working to increase the development of renewable energy and promote energy efficiency across Alaska. REAP has been instrumental in helping to establish and fund clean energy programs and projects across Alaska, including the creation of the state’s Renewable Energy Fund in 2008, the Emerging Energy Technology Fund in 2010, Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy legislation in 2017 and the formation of the Railbelt’s first regional Electric Reliability Organization in 2020 and state green bank in 2024. Before establishing REAP in 2004, Chris had a private law practice for over a decade that included work in remote Northwest Arctic villages and the mediation of a variety disputes around the state. He has written a monthly opinion column for Alaska’s only statewide newspaper, served on various statewide boards and committees, including the state’s Renewable Energy Fund Advisory Committee. Since 2008, that Fund has granted over $330 million to more than 100 renewable energy projects that today are displacing the equivalent of 30 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. Chris also served on the climate action advisory committees for both Governors Sarah Palin and Bill Walker. He lives 65 miles northeast of Anchorage, where he and his partner grow flowers and enjoy the mountains. In his free time, he loves to cook, walk in the Alaska wilderness and visit ancient cultures around the world. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Political Science and a Certificate in Global Studies and received his law degree from the University of Oregon, with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law.

On the Web:  https://alaskarenewableenergy.org/

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-rose-69192251/

Guest #2:

Philip Wight is an Associate Professor of History and Arctic & Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

He is an energy and environmental historian, with a focus on infrastructure, mobility, and climate. He teaches classes in Alaska history, the contemporary history of the circumpolar north as well as energy and climate history.

Wight wrote his doctoral dissertation on the history of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. He is currently finalizing a book manuscript, Arctic Artery: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the World it Made, based on his doctoral research. Wight’s more recent research examines the historical electrification of Alaska, including studies which examine generation and transmission on the Railbelt, as well as technological and energy policy innovation throughout the state.

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-wight-9a90418b/

On Twitter: @PhilWight

On the Web:  Phil’s page at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Guest #3:

Saqib Javed is a Researcher of Mechanical Engineering working on Applied Research for Communities in Extreme Environments at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) in Alaska. He has over 18 years of experience in HVAC systems, Geothermal Energy, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Ground Heat Exchangers, Thermal Energy Storage, Environment and Sustainability Interactions, Building Energy Systems, and Engineering Management.

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saqib-javed-b10a4239/

On the Web:  Saqib’s page at NREL

On Google Scholar: Saqib Javed

Geek rating: 8

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[Episode #257] – Remote Microgrids in Alaska

Aug 27 2025

Mini Episode

Most people probably think of a "microgrid" as a campus or neighborhood that can "island" itself and run independently when needed, but otherwise stays connected to the main grid most of the time. But in Alaska's remote communities that aren't even accessible by road, residents depend on microgrids for their very survival in extreme conditions.

For this episode, Chris traveled to Kotzebue, Alaska, a community above the Arctic Circle that has become an international leader at integrating renewable energy by pioneering wind-diesel hybrids, innovative wind-to-heat technology, and Arctic solar systems that achieve remarkable performance. We explore how Kotzebue is using innovative approaches to energy transition solutions to lessen their dependence on diesel fuel while improving the health and welfare of their people.

This episode is part of our miniseries about the energy transition in Alaska.

Guest #1:

Dr. Brian Hirsch is the President and Founder of DeerStone Consulting LLC, a renewable energy consulting firm focused on microgrid, utility, and community development in remote locations, especially the Arctic and the Tropics.

Brian has focused on microgrid and renewable energy integration, multi-scalar energy storage, independent power producer formation, utility support, project finance, and community development in remote locations. He has directed and facilitated clean energy development and project management for a wide range of clients, including large Independent Power Producers, multinational engineering firms, Alaska Native corporations, Tribal governments, Indigenous communities, Federal Government agencies and National energy laboratories, municipalities, electric utilities, and non-governmental organizations.  He has also led grid-scale battery energy storage workshops in Alaska and abroad.

Previously, he was a Senior Project Leader for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he received an NREL Achievement Award for his efforts in establishing the Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START), an Obama administration priority program under the US Department of Energy. He also served as Chairperson of the Alaska Emerging Energy Technology Fund Advisory Committee from 2010-2015, a position appointed by the Governor of Alaska.

He received a Master’s certification in Energy Analysis and Policy and a Doctorate in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focusing on energy issues in northern regions of the world. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Government and Political Science, with an additional focus on Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Recent and ongoing projects include developing solar photovoltaic-wind-battery-diesel hybrid systems across Alaska and providing technical support to Alaska Native regional organizations and other groups covering over 120 communities across Alaska. From 2009-2015 he was the Senior Project Leader for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Alaska Initiative and projects globally.

On the Web:  https://www.deerstoneconsulting.com/

Guest #2:

Katya Karankevich is a project manager in the Rural Energy Program at the Alaska Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) where she develops and manages the design and construction of energy projects in remote communities all over the state. She has a Master’s degree in Sustainability from Harvard University. She holds four world records in spearfishing and is originally from Magadan, Russia, not visible from her house in Anchorage.

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katya-a-karankevich-930492a9/

On email: ks2857@gmail.com

Guest #3:

Matt Bergan is a recently retired Project Engineer at Kotzebue Electric Association and is now a consultant. Previously, Matt was a Manager of Operations at WHPacific (now KUNA) and also positions at Maniilaq Association. Matt received a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in mechanical engineering from Norwich University.

On LinkedIn

On the Web: Kotzebue Electric Association

Geek rating: 6

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[Episode #255] – Dwellings in Alaska

Jul 30 2025

Mini Episode

In the summer of 2025, Chris traveled to Alaska to explore the state's unique energy transition story by interviewing some of its energy experts.

Like every place, Alaska has a unique set of challenges and opportunities in the energy transition, and can offer insights drawn from its experience to the rest of the world. Alaska's extreme conditions and remoteness make it a proving ground for a wide array of energy transition solutions, as it grapples with a melting permafrost, supply chain constraints, dependence on federal support, and declining fossil fuel production in an age of climate change and climate action.

The state's greatest energy need is for heat during its long, very cold winters that typically last eight to nine months. In this conversation, Aaron Cooke, an architect and project manager at NREL's Alaska Campus in Fairbanks, joins us to discuss the lab's research on building techniques designed to retain warmth while ensuring healthy indoor environments. Their work tests designs to construct buildings that are comfortable, healthy, durable, and affordable in harsh climates, all while contending with logistical challenges, cultural needs, and climate adaptation.

Guest:

Aaron Cooke is a licensed Architect and Project Manager at NREL’s campus in Fairbanks, Alaska.  NREL’s center in Alaska is called the center for Applied Research with Communities in Extreme Environments, or ARCEE. Aaron has work experience across the circumpolar north, with projects in Alaska, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia, testing new methods of building durable and energy-efficient homes in the circumpolar regions. He has 17 years of architectural, construction, and research experience in Alaska and the greater Arctic. Cooke’s work primarily focuses on durable, affordable, healthy, and sustainable building design in extreme climates and remote locations. He works with architects, builders, technicians, local leaders, and Tribes to design, build, and monitor innovative buildings across the circumpolar north. He has taught northern architecture and engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and the Danish Technical University of Greenland. He believes that northern environmental conditions and northern culture are inseparable factors that must both be equally reflected in architecture and design in order for it to be successful. He was born and raised in Alaska.

Geek rating: 2

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