Cordova is so far ahead in renewable energy efforts, it’s hitting the limits of what current technology can offerCORDOVA, Alaska - In a state that relies heavily on fossil fuels for heating and powering buildings in rural areas, one Alaska community’s move to sustainable energy demonstrates that change is possible.
“Once we had the low-cost, abundant hydroelectric power available, and were able to reduce our electric rates, that started bringing a lot of the offshore seafood processing into Cordova,” Koplin said. “That really started elevating the economy to the point that we were in the top 11 seafood ports of the U.S.”
“Instead of turning the whole circuit off, maybe we turn off the homes but we leave the hospital on, we leave the water plant on,” Koplin said. “So that’s a whole new paradigm and we call it surgical load management.” after Sen. Lisa Murkowski hosted a Senate Energy Field Hearing in the coastal community. Staff with the Department of Energy’sKoplin says the city has transformed so much in the last three decades that it has hit the limits of the available technology.