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Investigating viable expansions of renewable energy in Kotzebue

August 1, 2025

ACEP’s work often focuses on finding optimal ways to reduce the cost of energy across the state.

In rural ���Ϻ�����Ƶ, where more than 200 standalone microgrid systems provide electricity, it is important to consider which upgrades and new technologies are going to be beneficial tomorrow and which ones may be beneficial 10 or 20 years from now.

A recent paper by researchers with ACEP and the U.S. Department of Energy Arctic Energy Office presents an analysis on both of these timescales.

The research team compared the cost and microgrid performance of potential future scenarios in the community of Kotzebue, ���Ϻ�����Ƶ, that would enable increasing proportions of renewable generation from wind and solar power. Kotzebue is already using solar photovoltaics, wind turbines and battery storage systems.

“We wanted to see how future scenarios compared to the current Kotzebue system if you expand what's already working, as well as if you add new technologies that could address needs down the road,” said Paul McKinley with ACEP and the Arctic Energy Office, who is the first author of the study.

“We know we want more electricity options than just imported diesel, but we don't want the alternative to be more costly or riskier,” he said.

The team also evaluated the efficacy of storing that renewable energy to maximally offset diesel use by using 1) lithium-ion batteries and 2) hydrogen with long-duration storage capabilities.

The study suggests that Kotzebue’s current trajectory to install additional wind, solar and battery capacity can be beneficial in the near-term. Given the grid design available today, investing in further generation and battery storage to reach 75% renewable power can be cost effective.

Implementing hydrogen for long-duration storage is economically viable enough that it is worth keeping an eye on, but it’s not yet sufficiently cost-effective nor reliable enough to store enough energy to enable a 100% renewable microgrid.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to any energy system in ���Ϻ�����Ƶ,” said Michelle Wilber with ACEP and one of the authors of the paper. But the team modeled a range of technologies that can provide an initial comparison of microgrid innovation that extends from present-day out to the not-so-distant future.

“We expect that our approach will be relevant to many communities in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions and that our work may contribute throughout the ���Ϻ�����Ƶ energy community,” she said.

The paper, entitled “,” was published in . The authors include McKinley, Wilber and Erin Whitney with the DOE Arctic Energy Office.