Articles or posts related to the renewable energy topic.
KEA’s members are aware of the wind farm 4miles south of the airport. The articles on this website are to share the story of KEA’s efforts at increasing wind generation-“a growing wind project,” and to detail some of the challenges involved, to be sure, there is a lot of hard work and plenty of challenges […]
Many in our community recognize KEA’s commitment to lowering the cost of electricity by developing renewable energy from our wind farm as well as initiating energy efficiency programs. KEA’s main goal is to provide reliable and affordable electricity to it’s’ members, but our commitment to finding solutions to low cost energy does not stop with […]
A Growing Wind Farm Alaska’s first utility wind farm more than tripled in size in early 1999 as Kotzebue Electric Association installed another seven turbines at its wind farm site. The first three Atlantic Orient Corporation (AOC) turbines went up in 1997. The turbines are part of the consumer-owned cooperative’s effort to develop a wind […]
Part 1 of 4 Winds come from solar energy. Air moves due to differences in pressure caused by uneven heating of Earth. This fast moving air contains the energy that we are harnessing for use by Kotzebue residents in such things as lighting homes, pumping water throughout the city, toasting bread, and running computers. The […]
Part 2 of 4 Tower The 80-foot lattice steel tower lifts the wind turbine into stronger winds above the ground. Even without trees, there is some ground friction that reduces wind strength at lower levels. The tower is designed to withstand heavy ice loads and blizzard conditions. Blades/Rotor Engineers working with the Department of Energy’s […]
Part 3 of 4 The winds in Kotzebue are excellent for use in producing electric power because they are: Energetic The annual average wind speed at KEA’s wind farm is 13.5 miles per hour, almost twice the average wind speeds as noted by the National Weather Service for Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. Winds in Kotzebue […]
Part 4 of 4 The AOC 15/50 turbines begin producing electricity at wind speeds of about 11 miles per hour (mph) and produce 50 kilowatts when winds reach 24.5 mph; the machines produce approximately 80 kW at wind speeds of 26-28 mph. The total amount of electricity produced each year will depend on the winds […]
By Seth Kantner The spring storms off the sea ice spun Kotzebue Electric Association’s new NorthWind 100 wind turbine into action last month, producing the machine’s first kilowatt of commercial power in the world. The NorthWind 100, a nearly quarter-million dollar next-generation prototype built by Northern Power Systems came online in Kotzebue in mid-May. The […]
Following are brief descriptions of the principal parts of the AOC 15/50 wind turbine. Jump or scroll down to view a description of how the wind turbine and control system act together. 1 The rotor consists of the three blades with their tip ‘air’ brakes and the hub to which they are bolted. The tip […]
The seven new turbines installed at KEA’s wind farm in the winter of 1999 will significantly increase fuel savings from the wind project. Most of Kotzebue’s electricity is produced using diesel generators. One gallon of fuel is saved for each 14 kilowatt-hours (kwh) produced by the wind farm. Annually, each of the AOC 15/50 turbines […]
