ACEP Utility Student Internships 2020

As an intern for AP&T for the summer of 2020, Josiah Alverts is using the XENDEE microgrid design tool to working on a project on a Skagway radiator for a new engine, and a feasibility study in Eagle, Alaska, and other interior communities. He also makes AutoCAD conversions, file updates and site drawings.

Alaska Power and Telephone (AP&T) is a power and telecommunications utility which services many locations in southeast and interior Alaska. They operate both diesel and hydroelectric power plants and the power needs of their customers are steadily growing. As their company expands, AP&T has pushed to generate cleaner and more sustainable power for their customers. In some large communities such as Upper Lynn Canal (ULC) and Prince of Wales (POW), most of their power generation consists of storage hydro and run-of-river hydro. However, AP&T (in a partnership with Haida Corporation) is currently constructing a new 5 MW storage hydroelectric system on POW called the Hiilangaay Hydropower Project, which will even further decrease the need for diesel throughout the year. AP&T is also researching the implementation of an energy storage system (ESS) in ULC to allow the area’s storage and run-of-river hydros to better offset diesel consumption in the winter months.

Logan Borger worked on a photogrammetry project for his internship with the International Arctic Research Center.

Borger developed and optimized the processing of photogrammetric data collected via unmanned aerial systems into digital surface models for the permafrost tunnel site in Fairbanks and coastal erosion sites in Southeast Alaska and the North Slope.

Abigail Leigh is interning with Matanuska Electric Association (MEA). She is working on the MEA Talkeetna Microgrid Project to develop a conceptual design and specification for a microgrid solution for MEA to improve reliability and service to members served by Stevens Substation feeder #4156.

Leigh is modeling a microgrid to provide reliable power in support of existing radial feeders to remote areas of their grid.

MEA is the oldest existing and second largest electric cooperative in the state and is owned and operated by its 51,000 members. They are a generation, transmission and distribution coop. Most of their power is generated at the Eklutna Generation Station Power Plant, a duel fuel facility that operated primarily on natural gas but in case of interruption to the supply can switch smoothly to diesel fuel. The facility contains 10 generators and can produce a total of 171 MW of power. Grace spent time at the generation plant and toured the facility to learn about the design and operating processes. Other power comes from net-metering of customers, Bradley Lake Hydroelectric facility and the coop also purchases power from other utilities on the railbelt when needed.

Jack Rodman is interning with a Power Cost Equalization (PCE) program data automation project for import into the 60Hertz application.

60Hertz Microgrids is an Alaskan internet startup software company that has developed a maintenance platform for rural power plants suited for diesel, solar, battery, wind and small hydro technologies. The software is installed on tablets and the company is working with the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) and the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) to test and deploy it in AVEC villages around western Alaska. During the pilot, the software was installed in 14 communities and 30 power plant operators participated. The software allows utility companies to track and monitor their remote assets in real time,  and replace the current hand-written and faxed logs. It is also a great platform for interactions of power plant operators from different villages and provides a peer-to-peer support network. The app allows managers and power plant operators to view and digitally capture data logs, field logs, power outages, and can be used as a messaging platform. The data is stored on the device until a Wi-Fi connection is available at which point the data gets transmitted (this is critical as data connectivity in rural locations is spotty at times).

As an intern, Kim Swedberg will support ACEP's work with Eaton team on the Eielson AFB microgrid and the Networked Metering System installed at Eielson AFB to support the data collection from the metering system convert the collected database into the Phase 1 developed database: Eielson Microgrid Research Data Archive (EMRDA). Additional effort on the Phase 2 project would be to collect power distribution grid information from GVEA and Alaska public commission and provide technical support to ERL with enhancement of the GVEA distribution grid model and HIL validation to facilitate protective relays parameter settings and coordination to enable Phase-II field demonstration.

Jordan Barde interned with Copper Valley Electric Association (CVEA) to assist with identifying and analyzing options for possible future integration of nuclear micro-reactors into the grid.

Barde performed a feasibility study for the integration of nuclear microreactors into Copper Valley Electric Association’s grid.

As an intern with Doyon Utilities, Trisha Jimmie developed a heat transfer MATLAB script for measuring heat loss along the underground piping systems for Doyon Utilities at Fort Wainwright U.S. Army post.

Matt Moses interned with Taġiuġmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority. 

Moses built data analysis tools and developed a thermal model for Taġiuġmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority for analysis of heating and solar energy data for energy efficient homes in Utqiaġvik, Alaska.

Working with Steve Colt, Christian Seekins' internship is in support of the “CO2 Reduction Study” that is funded by Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA). The goal of the project is to identify measures that GVEA could take during the next 10 years to reduce its own direct carbon emissions from electric power production by 26%, as well as measures that could reduce carbon emissions in the Fairbanks area by substituting electricity for direct fossil fuel use.

Seekins researched, analyzed and modeled a number of technologies, including residential battery and electric vehicle storage.

In his internship, Ilya Turchaninov's work will support the Community Appropriate Sustainable Energy Security (CASES) Partnership. The work helps in assessing existing community energy systems as a baseline for the project, then develop community energy profiles as a planning resource for communities and utilities. For more information: https://news.usask.ca/media-release-pages/2019/usask-led-northern-energy-planning-project-awarded-2.5-million-by-sshrc.php

Turchaninov built a template for conducting energy profile surveys as part of the international Community Appropriate Sustainable Energy Security partnership research initiative, and completed a survey for the city of Galena, Alaska.