Next meeting: TBA
For previous meeting minutes, jump to the end of the page.
To receive meeting announcements and minutes electronically, e-mail Reyna Villa and request to be put on the CREW mailing list.
What is the CREW?
The CREW was formed in June of 2008 as an initial partnership between the Native Village of Eyak and the Cordova Electric Cooperative (CEC) to collaborate in managing emerging technology opportunities necessitated by high energy costs in Cordova. Since then, it has grown into a community-wide collaboration that attracted the participation of the City of Cordova (municipality), Cordova schools (High School and School District Administration), businesses and private individuals. The CREW is an aggressive, results-oriented community team focused on all facets of community energy use, including transportation, heating, and electric energy. The CREW developed an energy plan called the Cordova Energy Plan, which provides a vision, mission, and prioritized grouping of projects in our community. Anyone is welcome to CREW meetings, whether to bring new ideas to the table or to help with existing projects. Meeting times and upcoming agendas will be posted here as they become available. Please contact Autumn Bryson at 424-7738 for more information.
Vision
The Cordova region is blessed with many natural potential sources of energy, including hydroelectric, wind, biomass, fish waste and tidal energy. Our vision is that some day in the near future, Cordova’s energy supplies can be generated with resources that are all local to the region. Achieving this goal will allow our forests and salmon to thrive and, in turn, better provide for economic and cultural prosperity of our world-class fishing industry and the community as a whole.
Goal
In the shadow of the devastating Exxon-Valdez oil spill and lingering effects to the economy and the environment, Cordova desires to be North America’s first petroleum-free community.
Key Focus Areas
Hydroelectric power – A community with a bounty of precipitation, Cordova presently operates two run-of-river hydroelectric facilities: Power Creek and Humpback Creek. In the early days of Cordova, hydroelectric was the only source of electricity, so we look to our roots to remind us of the best solutions to our energy problems. Continuous improvement in efficiencies of the existing facilities and extending the seasonal shoulder period where hydroelectric power can be generated are our top goals. Though longer-term projects, the potential for small dams and tapping into high alpine lakes are important projects to address our future energy needs.
Diesel electric power – While expensive and potentially harmful to the environment, this is a current major supply of our power generation mix. Projects that improve this system, such as waste heat recovery and fuel efficiency improvements, can have an immediate impact on reducing costs and improving local air and water quality.
Conservation – The cheapest kilowatt of electricity is the kilowatt you never have to use. More efficient appliances, low-watt lighting options and more weatherproof buildings help to cut costs without any outlay of capital for power generation equipment. These are often the fastest and least-expensive solutions to implement.
Convert waste stream to energy – The community of Cordova currently has a wood waste burn pile north of town and a landfill east of town where paper and cardboard waste is burned. These are wasted BTUs and air pollutants for our citizens and our wildlife. Cordova is pursuing a district heat system to burn this material in a centralized boiler that provides building heat and hot water for our schools, library and city offices. Summertime waste can provide steam for local cannery operations.
Wind power – While relatively protected in town, Class 4 and 5 winds exist to the south along the Gulf of Alaska coast. This is conveniently in the direction that the Eyak Corporation is developing roads and home sites, providing synergy with the expanding power grid. Wind is a growing energy source in Alaska, especially in communities where it results in diesel cost avoidance. It is an emerging focus of the state energy plan. In Cordova, wind power can integrate well with a district heating system as water heating is a common place to store excess power on very windy days.
Biomass – Logging has been a periodic economic endeavor in the Cordova region. Leftover wood from timber sorting piles is presently available as a source of home heating, displacing high-cost heating oil. Native Village of Eyak has received partial funding for a wood processing system to provide affordable heat to all community members. An ongoing biomass energy program would help reduce willow invasion on otherwise developable land. The possible resurrection of a timber industry could also provide local building materials that do not need to be barged in.
Community involvement and education – People are frustrated with high energy costs and 20 years of Exxon-Valdez aftermath that resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court cutting the award to fishermen and women to just 10% of the original amount designated by the jury. Some people want to do something, but don’t know how to help. Others have ideas they’d like to see implemented. The CREW is a place where the community can get involved in existing projects and help start new ones. All meetings are open to the public who are encouraged not to just attend and voice opinions, but to help us take action and become full-fledged CREW members.
Emerging technologies – Tidal and wave energy is a great long-term potential source for Cordova. Current technology for tidal and wave power is similar to where wind energy was in the ‘70s. Due to extremely fast tides in places like Salmo Point or the Channel Islands, Cordova would make an ideal testing ground for companies and agencies looking to prove new products. While no known surface sources currently exist, subsurface geothermal power has a potential to provide stable, low-cost power to our energy mix. The topography and tectonics of the region match those of other areas beginning to harness this power source that can be cheaper than coal. Research involving infrared sensing above ground, detailed geologic mapping and profiling existing well temperature gradients might discover a source for electrical generation or at least ground-source heat pumps.