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- Kotzebue Electric Association (KEA) is a non-profit, electric cooperative located in Kotzebue, Alaska
- Approximately 875 members
- KEA is governed by a 9-member board of directors
- Board members are elected by the cooperative membership
- The KEA Board of Directors establishes the goals and priorities of the cooperative
- The Board of Directors has been instrumental in KEA’s adoption of renewable energy sources
Our Home
- Kotzebue is the largest of 12 communities in Northwest Alaska
- Situated along the Chukchi Sea above the Bering Strait, it is home to many of the lnupiaq people
- Northwest Alaska is about the size of Indiana
- There are no roads or transmission lines connecting Kotzebue to other communities or the rest of Alaska
- The Kotzebue Sound is frozen for about 9 months of the year and wind chill can fall to minus 120º Fahrenheit
- Fuel is delivered annually by barge during the summer months
Electricity in Kotzebue
- Like most remote communities, Kotzebue originally relied exclusively on diesel generation to produce electricity
- Producing electricity using diesel generation is expensive
- Electricity in Alaska’s villages often costs more than 4 times the national average
- In Kotzebue it now costs only twice the national average
Our Mission
- To provide reliable and affordable electricity to our members
- KEA is committed to lowering the cost of electricity by developing renewable energy from:
- Our wind farm
- Integrating the use of solar energy
- Initiating energy efficiency programs
- The use of wind and solar energy helps stabilize and reduce energy costs in our community
Wind Energy
- Kotzebue is a Class 3 wind resource
- The average annual wind speed at the wind farm is 14.1 miles per hour
- The flat tundra allows the wind to blow close to its full force, without obstruction by trees or mountains
- All of these factors make Kotzebue an ideal location for the use of wind energy
Solar Energy
- During the summer months the sun shines 24 hours per day
- Even in the winter solar energy is feasible as an energy source