Alaska Power & Telephone Welcomes New Heat Pump Deployment Initiative to its Prince of Wales Island Service Area
02 Mayo 2024 - 8:24AM
Business Wire
Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) is excited to
announce that Spruce Root – a southeast Alaska non-profit and
Community Development Financial Institution – was selected to
receive a $2.5m US DOE grant for a heat pump deployment project for
Prince of Wales Island. The project, titled “Decarbonizing the
Tongass with Tribally Owned Heat Pumps,” will be a multi-year
initiative to add 240 air source heat pumps to residential homes in
Prince of Wales Island communities. The program will also include a
workforce development component, training local Alaska technicians
to maintain heat pumps and perform new installations on a
sustainable basis into the future.
Prince of Wales has an abundance of hydropower provided by the
Black Bear Lake, South Fork, and Híilangaay hydropower projects.
However, most residents heat their homes and businesses with oil-
or propane-based heating systems, using fossil fuels barged in from
out of state. Air source heat pumps will utilize local renewable
energy from the AP&T’s utility system, helping to more fully
utilize existing hydropower resources, and evolve the local
microgrid. The project will help reduce emissions, improving air
quality within Prince of Wales communities, and the Tongass
National Forest.
The project builds upon the success of an innovative heat pump
incentive partnership between AP&T and Sealaska Corporation.
Beginning in 2022, the two businesses developed a consumer
incentive program for heat pumps to further clean energy
development and mutually-held environmental goals. Spruce Root – a
Sealaska partner – joined in efforts to seek federal grant funding
to scale up the initiative to achieve more rapid penetration of
heat pump technology. The three entities worked together to apply
for funds until finally achieving success via the US DOE's “Energy
Improvement in Remote Areas” program.
Spruce Root Executive Director Alana Peterson remarked: “Spruce
Root is excited to be partnering with private industry to improve
the community and environmental well-being on Prince of Wales
Island. It was important to design this application to fund the
purchase and installation of residential heat pumps, and provide
training to the on-island workforce for installation and
maintenance of the heat pumps into the future. AP&T was
integral in developing our application for this funding and we hope
to continue bringing more funding into our region through these
types of partnerships.”
AP&T CEO Bill Marks reflected: “This new initiative
represents a significant step forward for clean energy and
beneficial electrification in rural southeast Alaska. AP&T is
proud of its partnerships with indigenous and non-profit
stakeholders. We are also thankful for the good work of Senators
Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Representative Mary Peltola,
who have worked tirelessly to make federal programs like this
available to meet the needs of rural Alaskans. We look forwards to
collaborating to help make Spruce Root’s efforts a success for the
region, and a model for other Alaska communities.”
You can learn more about Spruce Root at:
https://www.spruceroot.org/
AP&T (OTCMKTS:APTL) is an employee- and investor-owned
utility providing diverse services in 40 locations. Additional
company information can be found at: www.aptalaska.com
“AP&T – Employee-Owned,
Community-Minded.”
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Jason Custer - P: 907-617-3773 // E:
jason.c@aptalaska.com