(For prior week's news, please visit the ACEP This Week Archive)

Can Alaska and the US Military Share Energy Solutions?
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Location: Blue Loon (2999 Parks Highway)

Speakers:

George Roe
Research Professor
Alaska Center for Energy and Power

Angela B. Rolufs
Director, Office of Sustainable Energy & Environmental Engagement
Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tony Arnold
Assistant Director, Office of Sustainable Energy & Environmental Engagement
Missouri University of Science and Technology

Energy affordability and security are needs shared by Alaska communities and military installations within the state and around the world. Please join us for a presentation and discussion on the opportunities to find solutions addressing these mutual reliable, secure and often remote electrical, thermal and transportation energy challenges. Our dialogue will include priorities established by the ongoing coordination between the DoD’s Joint Task Force – Alaska and the University of Alaska, key energy security focus areas for the military, and examples from civilian – military engagements elsewhere in the United States.

Join ACEP at 6:00 pm on September 17th at the Blue Loon for our kick off lecture event of the season.

On September 13, 2013, Hatch and UAF entered into a contract for Hatch to use ACEP’s Power Systems Integration Lab for the testing of a patented flywheel technology known as Magnetically Loaded Composite (MLC). The patent is held by Williams Engineering, who has partnered with Hatch for the purpose of further developing this technology.

As the share of power generated from an intermittent source—such  as wind—increases, maintaining the voltage and frequency stability of the power grid becomes increasingly challenging. Despite being considered a short-term storage device, the flywheel can be used in conjunction with long term storage devices, such as batteries, to reduce the batteries electrical current charge/discharge rate, reduce the batteries charge/discharge cycles and therefore extend the batteries lifetime and help undersize the battery system cost, footprint and power rating. This latter feature will be tested and demonstrated in ACEP’s lab. 

Because ACEP’s lab can be operated in a manner that simulates a village hybrid system, Hatch will also be using ACEP’s lab to develop control systems for integrating flywheel technology into a wind-diesel hybrid system. The advantage of the MLC flywheel technology is its potential for providing cost effective, continuous, deep power cycling with a very fast response time, not possible with steel flywheels.

The first Biomass Brown Bag Lunch of the season will be held on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 12:30 - 1:30pm in the Large Conference Room at the DNR Building off Sportsmans Way, Fairbanks. Thanks to DNR for allowing us to use this space.

Our first guest speaker is Dr Daisy Huang who is a Research Engineer for ACEP and her presentation will be on "How Biomass has helped the Tanana River School District"

Please bring your lunch to eat during the presentation.

For those unable to attend in person, you can dial in by using the following conference call number
Dial: 1800 893 8850
Pin: 841729

Tuesday, September 17th
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Duckering #531

Missouri S&T is integrating a variety of energy generation, storage, and management technologies into a central campus microgrid.  The first phase of the microgrid will be located within the Missouri S&T Solar Village, optimizing energy within four student-built and inhabited solar homes.  The photovoltaic (PV) arrays on the solar village homes are designed to generate a total of approximately 25 kW of power.  A123 Systems, Inc. has donated a 960V lithium ion battery array that will provide 60 kWh of energy storage for the microgrid. A recent grant award from the American Public Power Association (APPA), through City Utilities of Springfield, will fund the installation of the battery array and graduate student research in community energy storage.  The Missouri S&T Office of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engagement (OSE3) manages the S&T Solar Village and is responsible for coordinating all research, education, and outreach activities within the village.

Tony Arnold is the assistant director of the Office of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engagement (OSE3) at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.  Over the last three years he has worked on renewable energy collaborations with several partners including Boeing, GM, A123Systems, Ameren, Caterpillar and GAF.  Current projects include management of the S&T Solar Village, the E3 Commons and the FREEDM Systems pre-college summer camp.  When he’s not shackled to the computer at his desk he enjoys volunteering as an advisor to the Solar House and Formula Electric Racing teams. 

• After drill pad set up was complete, drilling began
• Cutting sampling of every 10 feet began and logging continued
• Schramm drill rig experienced mechanical problems and is being replaced with a smaller rig until repairs can be made

NEXT WEEK: Schramm rig will come back on line middle or end of next week
 

To receive the daily updates contact Max Frey (mefrey@alaska.edu).

ACEP’s Power Systems Grid Integration Lead Researcher, Marc Mueller-Stoffels, will be visiting Cordova Electric Coop to develop partnerships with local energy stakeholders and to consult on their power generation systems.

Tuesday, September 17th: Tony Arnold, Assistant Director of the Office of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engagement (OSE3) at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

The Alaska Center for Energy & Power is an applied research program under the Institute of Northern Engineering located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.   For more information contact Julie Estey, Business Director, Julie.estey@alaska.edu.

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