[10], Work on the installation commenced in 2009, and construction of the turbines themselves took place over the summer of 2012. Mike Dunleavy said improvements in technology and decreasing costs of renewable power “open up some new and tremendous possibilities” for the state, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Monday. Europeans first saw the island during Captain Cook's expedition up what was named the Cook Inlet. “That’s not the case.”. "Fire Island" had become established by 1895, when that name was published by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. There is little fresh water on Fire Island, since there are only a few small lakes and the water table is prone to salt-water intrusion.[1]:3–6. “And this is a new place we’re in, that we haven’t been in before.”, Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The site where the wind farm was built was chosen for its proximity to transmission lines. The turbines’ nacelles rise to 262 feet (80 m) above the ground, about the height of Anchorage's Robert B. Atwood Building, which is the city's second-tallest. Staffed by about 200 personnel, the base was an air defense radar center and Nike surface-to-air missile site for NORAD, doubling as a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control radar and communications site. [9] Access to the island is by permission only. The 12-turbine wind farm only took three weeks to assemble, but the process of planning and transporting parts and equipment to the site was so complex that it took a team of 180 workers nearly six months to complete. [5], Fire Island AFS closed in 1969, leaving the FAA as the sole user of the island. Wind turbines dot rural Alaska. After being shipped by rail, the turbine components were then transferred to trucks and moved up the 10-mile road, an old mining trail that had to be widened and straightened to accommodate the 147-foot-long blades. | Photo courtesy of Golden Valley Electric Association, Wind turbine blades are transported up the 10-mile-long, narrow dirt road to the Eva Creek Wind Farm site. Fire Island is underlain by sedimentary rocks, atop which lie deep sand and gravel deposits from the surrounding tidal estuary. This meant Golden Valley had to purchase specialized cold-climate wind turbines that include built-in heating units, which enable the turbines to keep generating power even at subzero temperatures. [8] The FAA maintains a private general aviation airfield on the east corner of the island, which has two runways and hosts, on average, 25 landings and takeoffs each month. [7], Currently, CIRI owns 90% of Fire Island's 4,000 acres, the rest belonging to the FAA and the US Coast Guard. It also reduced its overall energy use through several efficiency projects. Alternative energy proponents said Dunleavy’s interest reflects a growing political consensus around the benefits of renewable power. The fact that Alaska has 92 utility companies also helped to create competitive economic conditions that made development of solar and wind energy a reality there. A train carrying wind turbine components arrives in Alaska. Golden Valley set a target in 2005 to get 20% of its peak load electricity—power supplied when customer demand is highest—from renewable energy by 2014. [10], The wind farm is the first megawatt-scale wind project in Southcentral Alaska. Hikers occasionally attempt the 3.5-mile (5.6-km) trek from Kincaid Park, but the incoming tide can make the journey dangerous, and people have been known to drown. Later, George Vancouver called it "Turnagain Island" in 1794, after the Turnagain Arm, which the southeast side of the island faces. For many Alaskans, energy is expensive. [10], Since the abandonment of the air force station, various uses had been suggested for the island, including an expansion of the Port of Anchorage or the development of industrial facilities. Electricity for Alaskan consumers can cost on average 14 to 16 cents per kilowatt-hour, much higher than the national average of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. For completing such an ambitious and challenging wind energy project, Golden Valley won the 2013 Wind Cooperative of the Year Award from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the Energy Department. Perhaps that is why Alaska requires a minimum output from alternative energy sources. The co-op was already receiving some renewable electricity from a hydropower project and two member-owned wind turbines. “Things are shifting,” Smith said. Its land area is 17.467 km2 (6.7439 sq mi, or 4,316.1 acres), and there was no permanent resident population at the 2000 census. Forrestal Building1000 Independence Avenue, SWWashington, DC 20585, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Project Management Coordination Office Home, Competency Management & Cross-Cutting Activities, Operations, Audit Resolution, & Internal Controls, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office. [1]:2 The FAA site stayed open until 1980, when new Kenai-based radar became active. [2], The island is dominated by forests similar to those found in the Alaskan interior, and bogs are found in poorly drained low-lying areas. The FAA, operators of nearby Anchorage International Airport, cautiously approved the project in 2008 after deciding that the wind turbines would not interfere with their radar equipment. [8] According to the producers, the installation powers 5,600 homes in Anchorage. Fire Island is a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) long island in the U.S. state of Alaska, located near the head of Cook Inlet at 61°09′34″N 150°11′55″W / 61.1594444°N 150.1986111°W / 61.1594444; -150.1986111Coordinates: 61°09′34″N 150°11′55″W / 61.1594444°N 150.1986111°W / 61.1594444; -150.1986111. The Eklutna hydroelectric project and related wind power investments could cost $5 billion or more.
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