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Event Agenda
Time and Date: 8:30am – 5:00pm, April 30th, 2015
Location: NANA Building, Nanatkut Room
909 West 9th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501
Goals: The Alaska Solar Energy Workshop is a venue to facilitate an exchange of information and ideas regarding
appropriate solar PV development in Alaska with emphasis on project performance, economics, best practices,
and alternatives.
Who Should Attend: Community and regional leaders, energy project developers, utility representatives, industry
representatives, state and federal agency representatives, university and private researchers, and students.
8:30 am: Welcome and Introductions (Gwen Holdmann, ACEP and Sonny Adams, NANA)
9:00 am: PANEL DISCUSSION: SOLAR TECHNOLOGY NUTS AND BOLTS. Appropriate equipment and installation strategies for the Alaskan environment.
(Moderator – Erin Whitney, ACEP)
Panelists: Greg Egan (Remote Power Inc); Rob Bensin (Bering Straits Development Corporation);
Daisy Huang (ACEP); Jesse Moe (Lime Solar) - invited
Topics covered:
• Choosing your PV modules – balancing capital costs with performance and O&M
• Insuring proper installation of systems – code requirements, training and certification
• Capturing the sun – array placement for the arctic environment
• System monitoring and O&M
• Mounting/racking of systems
• Single and dual axis tracking systems in sub-arctic and arctic environments
• Inverters and other system components
• Investing in solar versus energy efficiency or other technologies
10:15 am: Break
10:30 am: PANEL DISCUSSION: CASE STUDIES FROM AROUND THE STATE
(Moderator – David Lockard, AEA)
• Solar PV on community buildings in NW Arctic Borough (Ingemar Mathiasson, NWAB)
• Sizing a solar PV project – example from a proposed project in Galena (Marc MuellerStoffels, ACEP)
• Overview of projects installed in Interior communities and lessons learned (David
Pelunius-Messier, Tanana Chiefs Conference)
• Solar in the rainforest - Kake solar project (Gary William, Kake First Nations) - invited
12:00 pm: PANEL DISCUSSION: FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCY PERSPECTIVE. Perspectives and programs relevant to solar energy.
(Moderator – Brian Hirsch, NREL)
• Alaska Energy Authority (Sean Skaling)
• Regulatory Commission of Alaska (Brenda Cox) - invited
• Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (Scott Waterman) - invited
• Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy (Givey Kochanowski)
12:40 pm: Lunch (provided) and networking opportunity
1:10 pm: PANEL DISCUSSION: UTILITY PERSPECTIVES. Solar energy from the utility perspective – what does a successful project look like?
(Moderator – Clay Koplin, Cordova Electric Association)
• Bob Grimm (Alaska Power and Telephone) - invited
• Steve Gilbert (Alaska Village Electric Cooperative)
• Kord Christianson (TDX Power)
• Matt Bergan (KEA) - invited
2:40 pm: Break
2:50 pm: PANEL DISCUSSION: SOLAR PV PROJECT ECONOMICS AND FINANCING. Solar PV economics in Alaska and strategies and opportunities for financing projects through grants, loans, and public-private partnerships.
(Moderator – Antony Scott, ACEP)
• Developer perspective and lessons learned - Jason McEvers (Capstone) - invited
• Financing energy projects in rural Alaska – Hugh Short (PT Capital)
• Native Corporations – Investing in your communities – Sonny Adams (NANA)
• Federal landscape for solar energy projects, including financing and tax incentives – Chris
Rose (REAP)
4:30 pm: WRAP UP DISCUSSION: PEOPLE, PROCESS, TECHNOLOGY. Road map to solar development in Alaska – addressing barriers to appropriate solar adoption in the Arctic and how to overcome them. (Facilitated discussion led by Sonny Adams and Gwen Holdmann)
5:00 pm: Adjourn
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