Establish an Emerging Energy Technology Fund
ACV supports the creation of the Emerging Energy Technology Development Fund proposed by the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP), a coalition of urban and rural Alaska utilities, businesses, conservation and consumer groups, and Alaska Natives. The Emerging Energy Technology Development Fund would help Alaska become a leader in research and implementation of technologies for battery storage, tidal and wave power, biomass gasification, and hydrogen generation, as well as transportation and storage of energy. The Fund would provide both grants and loans to university researchers, non-profits, private industry and local governments to fund research and development, demonstration projects and market transformation of renewable and alternative energy technologies that have a high likelihood of becoming economically and technologically viable in the short term. Equally important, the Fund should provide coordination and funding for targeted work force development and education programs that will train Alaska’s next generation of construction workers, technicians, engineers and scientists that will guide us through the next century of energy innovation.
One of Three Priorities for Enhancing Alaska’s Quality of Life and Protecting a Healthy Environment
The creation of the Renewable Energy Grant Fund in 2008 was a critical first step in the process of promoting a secure clean energy future for Alaska. However, the Renewable Energy Fund was not designed to fund developing technologies that are not yet fully commercialized. We now need to emphasize to the Governor and the legislature that it is in the state’s best interest to adequately capitalize a renewable energy research and development fund, including the creation of targeted workforce development training programs. There is a great need all over the USA, and especially in Alaska, to train workers at the vocational/technical and university levels to meet the challenges posed by the quickly developing renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. Establishing an Emerging Technology Fund will not only engage faculty and students at Alaska’s University system, it could also lead to the formation of companies that develop renewable energy systems that have markets and applications around the world. The $55 billion/year “clean energy” business is expected to at least quadruple worldwide by 2015.
Establishing an Emerging Technology Fund is one way to not only position Alaska to capture some of this global interest but to help grow our cutting edge University programs and create a highly valued workforce. As such aim of the Fund would be to provide grants and loans to university researchers, non-profits, private industry and local governments for research and demonstration projects, and market transformation of renewable energy technologies that have a likelihood of becoming economically viable.
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Media Contact
Caitlin Higgins, Alaska Conservation Voters, 907.258.6175, caitlin@akvoice.org
