Atmautluak Tribal Utilities – 2022 Project

NOTE: Project pages are being updated regularly to reflect changes, if any; however, some of the information may be dated.

Project Description

Background

ATU is a subsidiary of the federally recognized Tribe, Village of Atmautluak. The area experiences extremely high costs of energy and is heavily reliant upon a subsistence lifestyle to offset high rates of poverty. Atmautluak’s population and its energy growth have steadily increased since 2011. ATU is the only community power plant in Atmautluak and is an islanded microgrid (not connected to any traditional electricity grid) consisting of a 150-kW diesel generator power plant and two 24’ wind turbines on 37-meter tilt-up towers. The turbines were recently installed and integrated into power plant operations to allow for utilization of the wind resource and lessen dependency on diesel generation. ATU provides electricity to all community residences and Tribal facilities. In the event of power outages, food caches are put at risk and medical care is potentially compromised.  

Project Objectives

ATU will install a 250-kW/377-kWh battery energy storage system (BESS) into the existing power plant’s facilities and integrate the BESS into the existing design/operations of the plant. Additionally, approximately 30 Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) units will be installed in community members’ homes. The ETS units will also be integrated into the microgrid, which will allow for the units to store energy during off-peak, high-wind-resource periods and discharge heat during high-peak, low-wind-resource periods. The BESS will provide a non-fuel means to support the load requirements for essential Tribal facilities for up to three continuous hours during a power outage as well as provide lower-cost, better-conditioned power intermittently to all local residences. ATU anticipates significant annual cost savings due to the BESS providing for over 4,000 hours of wind-only, diesel-off system operation, resulting in an annual displacement of approximately 25,500 gallons of fuel. The ETS component will provide residents with the ability to store lower-cost energy for later use when energy costs are higher, thereby creating both cost savings and energy efficiencies. The installation of approximately 30 ETS units mean almost half the community will directly benefit from reduced costs to heat their homes. These objectives align with the Tribe's long-term goals of reducing its dependence on diesel fuel by 50% by 2030. Tribal resilience, independence, and self-determination will improve as a result of this project.

Project Scope

Installation of the BESS unit will occur in an existing, unutilized building of the ATU power plant facility, located on the Village’s Tribal land. BESS installation will require only minor modifications to this empty building. The BESS will be integrated into the distribution system through an isolation transformer, electrical disconnects, and breakers. BESS dispatch will be automated via a control system embedded in the electronics and switchgear of the power plant. This control system will communicate with the two existing and operational wind turbines, which are also integrated into the Atmautluak diesel power plant/microgrid utility. The ETS units will be installed into community members’ homes in Atmautluak and become an integral part of the Atmautluak diesel-wind microgrid. Each ETS unit will be wired and integrated into the microgrid separately, followed by individual commissioning and verification. Once installation of the BESS and ETS units is complete, integration and commissioning activities will occur under varying wind penetration levels to verify performance.

Project Location

The Village of Atmautluak is a federally recognized Tribe and a Yup’ik community located in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of southwest Alaska. The Village is situated on the eastern banks of the Johnson River, 20 miles upstream of its confluence with the Kuskokwim River, and northwest of Bethel, Alaska. The BESS system will be installed adjacent to the power plant on property owned by the Tribe. The ETS units will be installed in the homes of Tribal residents.