Are there hydrokinetic turbines in Fairbanks area rivers?
“I’m curious about hydrokinetic turbines. Are there any in the Fairbanks area?” asked a member recently.
The short answer is no; we don’t have hydrokinetic turbines in Fairbanks area rivers…yet.
The Alaska Center for Energy & Power and the Ocean Renewable Power Company are studying “low-head,” or hydrokinetic, turbine generators for village applications at a test site in Nenana.
Also, on June 28 of this year, Alaska Power & Telephone deployed Alaska’s first 25-kilowatt hydrokinetic turbine in the Yukon River near Eagle.
Unlike conventional hydroelectric generation, hydrokinetic units capture the energy of moving water without the use of dams. Instead, the units are installed in a “free flow” environment and can be moved around – permit depending, of course.
Hydrokinetic turbines are much smaller than conventional hydro turbines, providing anywhere from 10 to 100 kW of power. They are designed to allow fish to pass through and leave the flow of water undisturbed.
While dams stay year-round, the turbines must be removed from the rivers in the winter to prevent damage from ice build up.
Hydrokinetic units might be a great option for SNAP producers. However, it should be noted that they are still in the development phase.
Are these hydrokinetic generators really justifiable cost wise if they can only be used when the rivers are ice free which is a very limited time for most Alaskan Rivers? It seems more engineering is needed so the turbines can be protected from the ice so they can be used year round.
In addition to ice build-up, debris and lack of water during the winter months are problems. In fact, Interior river flows drop to less than 20 percent of their summer flow during winter months. The majority of the water (aka potential energy) is frozen.
So are the turbines justifiable? That would depend on the cost and availability of power. The more remote you get, the more justifiable these turbines may become. When Alaska Power & Telephone first launched their turbine in Eagle, it generated 15-19 kilowatts. Assuming Golden Valley’s average household consumption of 750kWh per month (and assuming the turbine consistently produced 15 kW or greater) hypothetically, it could provide enough electricity to operate 14 homes for a month. Not bad when burning diesel is the alternative.