Solar panels boost Chickaloon's electricity

CHICKALOON -- Chickaloon Native Village recently completed the installation of a 2,200-watt solar photovoltaic dual-axis tracking system to power their tribal school and central offices. This solar energy system, which converts light from the sun into usable electricity, will reduce the tribe's use of fossil fuels and their monthly electric bills.

Chickaloon Chief Gary Harrison said, "We are very excited about this project, as it launches our renewable energy development efforts from planning to actually implementing a part of our long-term vision. Our goal is to produce and use hydrogen for our energy needs from renewable resources and eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels for tribal sustainability."

The development comes as a welcome addition to the utility system of Chickaloon, which, like many rural Alaskan towns, can suffer from electricity and water rates many times higher than the national average.

The dual-axis tracking system is an innovative technology that rotates the solar panels to follow the sun's progress across the sky, thus maximizing energy production. This innovation is particularly important in the far north, where the sun can change its course drastically with the seasons. In other far north applications of this technology, studies have shown that annual energy production triples when compared to more traditional fixed-panel modes of solar electricity generation.

Additional components of the project, scheduled for completion in the summer of 2004, include an educational kiosk for the general public to view and learn more about the solar electric system, a wind measuring unit to evaluate the potential energy and production costs from the wind, and an energy curriculum that will be implemented in Chickaloon's Tribal school. Longer-term plans include connecting the system to the Internet for real-time performance monitoring and online education.

Students in Chickaloon's Ya Ne Dah Ah ("Ancient Teachings") school assisted with some of the installation and have been manually recording daily energy production since the first day of system commissioning. These energy production values are being entered into spreadsheets and will be used to teach the students math and computer science.

"Our students, our school, and our community are proud to be using solar energy, which represents part of the future for our youth," said Sondra Stuart, director of the Ya Ne Dah Ah School and a Chickaloon Village Tribal member. "We look forward to integrating renewable energy into our broad-based curriculum that merges traditional values and contemporary skills."

The project has been a collaboration between several different agencies, with Chickaloon Village's school and Environmental Department providing leadership and direction, and technical assistance contributed by Earth Energy Systems and Specialty Electric. The Alaska Conservation Foundation, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Administration for Native Americans all provided financial assistance for the project.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.