Solar Data Collection Begins in Yakutat
Yakutat, Alaska, population 552, sits on the glacial moraine of Hubbard Glacier, North
America鈥檚 largest tidewater glacier. In 2013, the community used around 420,500 gallons
of imported diesel fuel to generate electricity at a rate of $0.54 per kilowatt-hour.
The state鈥檚 power cost equalization funding reduces the residential rate to $0.23
for the first 500 kilowatt-hours.
The community has looked into many renewable and alternative energy systems, including
biomass, wind and wave energy. Wave energy research is ongoing through the , and a past study of the wind profile in Yakutat proved the air too turbulent for
producing efficient electricity.
Another resource identified was solar. While Yakutat is located in between Southcentral
and rainy Southeast Alaska, initial studies showed it had a good solar resource. On
Aug. 7, ACEP鈥檚 Chris Pike and Henry Toal traveled to Yakutat to assemble ameteorologic tower that was primarily designed to measure solar irradiance. The device
also measures wind direction and wind velocity, barometric pressure, temperature,
and relative humidity.
The high-quality weather and irradiance data will be used by to better understand solar performance and feasibility modeling. It鈥檚 part of the
broader effort to develop future options for the community of Yakutat that lower the
cost of electricity and reduce the amount of diesel used to generate power.
ACEP intern Henry Toal installs a Campbell Scientific meteorologic tower in Yakutat. Photo by Chris Pike.