Data Librarian

Sharing, locating, and accessing scientific data is essential to the research process. Data librarians support other intern projects regarding data management and governance. Improve internal processes of the ACEP data program and contribute to a data culture based on best practices and ethical guidelines. Special projects: Develop a cooperative card game that reinforces data management skills and culture. Working with Kartorium to map the village of Galena using UAVs.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the ACEP Data Collection & Management initiative.

Featured article: Data librarianship at ACEP: a new outlook on data

Data Librarian

Sharing, locating, and accessing scientific data is essential to the research process. Data librarians support other intern projects regarding data management and governance. Improve internal processes of the ACEP data program and contribute to a data culture based on best practices and ethical guidelines. Special projects: Develop a cooperative card game that reinforces data management skills and culture. Design a video game that illustrates the principles of community-based microgrid development.

This project is part of the NSF REU internship strand and made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation.

Featured article: Data librarianship at ACEP: a new outlook on data

The High Cost of Kotzebue Home Heating: Learning the story, telling the story

Curtis’ project focuses on energy use in rural Alaska, building science, and energy education. As part of ACEP’s Diesel-Free Heating study through the NSF Navigating the New Arctic program, Curtis will learn the basic inputs of AKWarm, the energy audit software used in Alaska, attend Arctic Lecture Series and growth mindset in research training, and shadow staff installing fuel flow and other home energy-monitoring devices. Curtis will work with Teaching through Technology (T3) to develop energy education materials that can be used for middle and high school students interested in exploring building science and energy literacy. She will travel to Kotzebue, Alaska, and the village of Noatak to work with the T3 Upward Bound summer program and shadow and assist a professional energy auditor with energy audits on sixteen local residences.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: Developing home energy audit curriculum for high school students

Synthetic Power System Model Development, Electrical Engineering Track

The goal of this project is to develop a fictional but realistic electrical grid model of a remote Alaskan community based on real and publicly available information. The work will include data collection of publicly available electrical grid information of remote Alaskan microgrids and performing statistics on that data to develop metrics that quantify key characteristics of these systems. There will be opportunity to learn power system modeling software to develop a synthetic microgrid model based on the developed metrics that will be overlaid on a geographical area of a community with location specific resource availability (such as from wind and solar generation).

This project is part of the NSF REU internship strand and is made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation.

Featured article: Intern develops metrics for designing a synthetic microgrid model

Synthetic Power System Model Development, Data Track

The goal of this project is to develop a fictional but realistic electrical grid model of a remote Alaskan community based on real and publicly available information. The work will include data collection of publicly available electrical grid information of remote Alaskan microgrids and performing statistics on that data to develop metrics that quantify key characteristics of these systems. There will be opportunity to learn power system modeling software to develop a synthetic microgrid model based on the developed metrics that will be overlaid on a geographical area of a community with location specific resource availability (such as from wind and solar generation).

This project is part of the NSF REU internship strand and is made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation.

Featured article: ACEP intern powers through power system modeling

Railbelt Decarbonization and Energy Resources

This project works with Alaska’s Railbelt electrical grid and energy resources. Gus will choose an energy technology (i.e. solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, hydro, heat pumps, electric vehicles, etc.) to perform extensive technology and availability research on to gain a greater understanding on how that technology may 1) be developed for use in the Railbelt, 2) be modeled and simulated in power system simulation software, and 3) have other non-electrical implications and consequences (such as land-use, human health, etc.). This project will contribute to ACEP’s Railbelt decarbonization projects. My research was specific to nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs). I was and am responsible for compiling information related to particular models currently in operation worldwide and those in development. These machines were implemented around the Railbelt using various software programs and simulated for power flow.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from Sandia National Laboratory and the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: Nuclear generation assessment for Alaska's Railbelt

Green Energy Project: Hands-on technical measurements in mariculture

The green energy project aims to realign the industry at a critical time so that as it grows without developing a dependence on fossil fuels. Nudlash-Barger will be trained to install data logging devices that measure site energy use, then travel to various locations in Alaska to build relationships with local mariculture practitioners and install data logging devices. Nudlash-Barger will be responsible for overseeing data collection from the logging devices and compiling it into a final report. Data loggers may be electric meters that must be clamped around conductors, pressure sensors that are installed in hydraulic lines or flow sensors installed in fuel lines. The data will be extracted to comma separated variable files and processed using the Python programming language. The report will describe preliminary findings, identify opportunities for improvement in the measurement process and suggest key components of a standardized mariculture energy audit process.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: Kelp, oysters and outboards: energy efficiency meets regenerative ocean farming

Coastal Mapping

Karsten joins Erin Trochim's exceptional team to study Alaska's coastal environments, focusing on marine energy research that directly benefits coastal communities. This involves processing Alaskan coastal geospatial data to explore offshore wind, wave, riverine, and tidal power potentials. Karsten will learn techniques for analyzing diverse coastal remote sensing data, including satellite imagery and Topobathy LiDAR. Karsten will also conduct hands-on fieldwork, collecting and analyzing geospatial data using UAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft).

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and made possible by funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

Featured article: ACEP interns contribute to mapping Alaska's coastline with high-quality data

Hydrokinetics and Field Work Introduction

This internship is the ideal opportunity to learn the basics of hydrokinetic field work including mobilization, operations, and demobilization of the Tanana River Test Site (TRTS), Coastal Mapping, Backyard Buoys, Terrain Interactions, among other projects. The intern can expect to learn boat driving, basic mechanical applications, planning, prepping, and executing remote fieldwork. This position also includes learning how to program and deploy numerous oceanographic instruments (ADCPs, ADVs, CTDs), and data collection systems (Campbell data loggers). Drone work and Trimble survey equipment will also be utilized at different times throughout the summer. Intern will work out of UAF’s Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC) lab/shop on the UAF Campus and can expect lots of hands-on work.

This project is part of the AUSI strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: ACEP intern dives into hydrokinetic research on the Tanana River

Arctic Energy Atlas

This project seeks to examine the viability of connecting the Pan-Arctic power grids, with the aim of increasing both community development, sustainable energy resources and national security. Bryan will work to analyze the financial, geographic, and political constraints on grid development, using cloud-based geospatial processing to develop visualizations. Multiple scenarios for grid development will be considered, ranging from international development to development at community level. 

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the Denali Commission.

Featured article: ACEP interns analyze potential transmission line paths across the Arctic

Analyzing Electric Vehicle Performance in the North

Momentum for electric vehicles (EVs) in Alaska has grown rapidly in recent years. The objective of this internship is to analyze recent data on electric vehicles in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other communities and investigate how energy usage varies in different conditions. In this investigation, the intern will create a charging station model that will place charging stations along road systems using data collected from EVs in Alaska. The charging stations for EVs will be placed at the theoretical lowest average ranges for EVs to ensure all EVs can make it through the Alaska road system. Curry may also look into electrification of public transportation in Anchorage, such as the people mover system.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: Modeling the future of Alaska's EV charging station infrastructure

Analyzing Electric Vehicle Performance in the North

Momentum for electric vehicles (EVs) in Alaska has grown rapidly in recent years. The objective of this internship is to analyze recent data on electric vehicles in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other communities and investigate how energy usage varies in different conditions. In this investigation, Dolan will develop a general-use energy optimization model to determine the feasibility of integrating EVs and EV charging stations in microgrid communities. The model will use data from the energy sources in the communities as well as electrical load data to measure this feasibility. Dolan may also analyze data obtained from large electric utility trucks in order to assist the Anchorage Municipality in acquiring electric garbage trucks.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: Internship brings about renewable energy enthusiasm

Railbelt Decarbonization and Energy Resources

Become an expert on Alaska’s Railbelt electrical grid and energy resources! Interns will choose an energy technology (he will be working with long term energy storage) to perform extensive technology and availability research on to gain a greater understanding on how that technology may 1) be developed for use in the Railbelt, 2) be modeled and simulated in power system simulation software, and 3) have other non-electrical implications and consequences (such as land-use, human health, etc.). This project will contribute to ACEP’s Railbelt decarbonization projects.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: Sustainable energy storage systems spark new life to existing infrastructure

Cook Inlet Tidal Mapping

The Cook Inlet contains the majority of the US's tidal energy potential and is adjacent to the Alaska railbelt electrical grid.  The railbelt is reliant on declining natural gas production in Cook Inlet to provide electricity and space heating to residents.  Hilcorp Alaska owns and operates 15 oil and gas platforms in Cook Inlet and is publicly making them available for tidal energy research and development and potentially as hubs for future commercial harvesting of the tidal energy resource.  The intern on this project will work with subject matter experts at ACEP and National Labs to investigate existing datasets collected by Hilcorp in the course of their oil and gas operations, including bathymetry, ADCP, salinity, turbidity, and environmental data.  These data will be used to evaluate the potential of hydrokinetic technology deployment and to identify data gaps that need further study.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Featured article: Optimizing ACEP research process through AI and ML

Solar Research Design and Analysis

Modler will assist in current and individual community based solar projects from a multitude of lenses. Primarily, she will spend time developing knowledge and insight in the application of solar arrays for specialized communities. Tasks will include preliminary research on solar related fields like snow drifting effects, conducting a comparative study with solar data from the Fairbanks community comparing flush mounted and high tilt solar arrays, and inspecting the degradation of solar modules. Modler will also design and implement a ground temperature monitoring system for a solar array in Kotzebue to provide insight to stabilize the array in the future. Weekly maintenance and monitoring of the local solar test site and weather station will also be the intern’s responsibility. Through these tasks, Modler will have the unique opportunity to analyze the clean energy transition in Alaska and craft hands-on research and development experience in sensors, data logging, and programming.

This project is part of the AUSI internship strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: A summer intern contributes to empowering solar future in Alaska

Coastal Mapping

This project will focus on understanding coastal environments across the state. In Alaska, there are many opportunities for marine energy, including offshore wind, wave, riverine, and tidal. We need better characterizations of the coastal and ocean environments to understand where and when this technology is viable. Rinzler is working on creating a StoryMap through ArcGIS detailing the project to create a space where community members and government agencies can learn about how and why data is being collected and how they can access this data. Rinzler will also be working in Google Earth Engine and QGIS to aid in the creation of the StoryMap.

This project is part of the NSF REU internship strand and is made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation.

Featured article: ACEP interns contribute to mapping Alaska's coastline with high-quality data

Galena Energy Infrastructure Mapping

The project will focus on developing the best available GIS database that community members and researchers can use as work is done to map energy infrastructure for the community. Villafañe-Pagán will summarize the geo-environmental challenges for Galena’s energy infrastructure and energy planning (public facing, for the community).

This project is part of the AUSI strand and is made possible by funding from the Office of Naval Research.

Featured article: Mapping the way to communities - Galena Energy Infrastructure Mapping

Arctic Energy Atlas

The Arctic Energy Atlas focuses on estimating future grid connectivity across the Pan-Arctic power grids, a region characterized by many, smaller microgrids. The project aims to analyze data on transmission networks, roads, rivers, coastlines, and power availability by using cloud-based geospatial processing and developing visualizations. The intern will evaluate financial, geographic, and political constraints on grid development, with policy and economic implications in mind and the goal of increasing sustainable energy resources and the resiliency of the grid network as a national security concern. 

This project is part of the NSF REU internship strand and is made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation.

Featured article: ACEP interns analyze potential transmission line paths across the Arctic