Cordova Electric Cooperative

As demand for electricity skyrockets and communities strive for cleaner, renewable energy, how do utilities balance these needs?   In the cover story of this month’s Bulletin, learn how Alaska’s Cordova Electric Cooperative and California’s Greensparc Inc. have paired up rural renewable resources with compact data centers. This approach offers many benefits, including increasing efficiency and helping to meet growing data demands in rural communities.   This month’s edition also includes columns from SMUD, City of Healdsburg, and Clallam PUD/Smart Electric Power Alliance.   Read the Bulletin now at https://lnkd.in/gcV7wCGr.   #PublicPower #TradePublication #DataCenter #AI #Hydropower #CustomerService #ClimateStrategy #GIS

As demand for electricity skyrockets and communities strive for cleaner, renewable energy, how do utilities balance these needs?   In the cover story of this month’s Bulletin, learn how Alaska’s Cordova Electric Cooperative and California’s Greensparc Inc. have paired up rural renewable resources with compact data centers. This approach offers many benefits, including increasing efficiency and helping to meet growing data demands in rural communities.   This month’s edition also includes columns from SMUD, City of Healdsburg, and Clallam PUD/Smart Electric Power Alliance.   Read the Bulletin now at https://lnkd.in/gcV7wCGr.   #PublicPower #TradePublication #DataCenter #AI #Hydropower #CustomerService #ClimateStrategy #GIS

What does Greensparc Inc.’s new data center mean for the community of Cordova? Cordova Electric Cooperative CEO Clay Koplin describes it like this: “Greensparc has elevated Cordova, Alaska, from a remote community at risk of being left behind by next-generation technologies to one that is leading at the intersection of sustainable energy, high-speed communications, and transformative cloud computing,” said Koplin, as quoted by Alaska Business . “Greensparc’s computing infrastructure is not an advancement; it is a transformation.” We're proud to call Greensparc a member of the Launch Alaska Portfolio! Learn more about the company's 100% renewable energy-powered data center at Humpback Creek Hydroelectric Project ➡ https://lnkd.in/gkETBUgi 

The energy transition presents critical challenges in data storage, sharing, and security to maintain interoperability, privacy, and data ownership. Those were the issues presented by, associate professor Dr Yashar Ghiassi-Farrokhfal at the recent 2024 World Energy Congress in Rotterdam where he joined a panel of distinguished energy leaders to discuss harnessing AI's potential without compromising the resilience of infrastructure or succumbing to AI's energy-intensive demands. The Congress is the flagship event of the World Energy Council. Dr Ghiassi-Farrokhfal was in the panel discussion with Yu G., Vice President of Data, Analytics, and AI of bp; Clay Koplin, CEO of Cordova Electric Cooperative; Arshad Mansoor CEO of EPRI; and Mateusz Treder of Senior Director of Power and Renewables of Cognite. Dr Ghiassi-Farrokhfal's contributions sparked engaging discussions among industry experts and attendees. At RSM Business Information Management Dr Ghiassi-Farrokhfal is currently working on a climate-focused research project COM2HEAT with funding from the Dutch government. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

I’m on a journey to understand innovation - to truly dig in and learn what’s worked to drive change in various sectors, industries, and communities, how it can be adapted for others, and how I might play a role, however large or small, in supporting and accelerating these efforts.   Cordova, Alaska is the most recent stop on this journey. This rugged, beautiful, unique setting is a showcase for innovation and resilience in the face of changing climate and economic conditions. The community there has implemented groundbreaking ideas, acted with agility, and forged strong bonds along the way, and it all grew out of necessity. Over the decades, the Prince William Sound region has endured catastrophes including earthquake, tsunami, avalanche, and an oil spill. Its fiercely committed residents banded together out of dedication to protect their region and improve quality of life. Our group, led by enthusiastic and gracious hosts Senator Lisa Murkowski and her team, readily saw innovation at every turn to support this as we toured this “region of resilience.”   Of course, I was especially interested in Cordova’s energy infrastructure. The town has no connection to the grid – it relies on a Lithium ion energy storage system integrated into a hydropower microgrid managed by the Cordova Electric Cooperative and developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). One has only to look around this area to see plenty of other technological, social, and programmatic innovations at work, from the Native Village of Eyak to local kelp farmers and the economic development district, including:   > Managing fisheries > Processing seafood > Applied climate science > Regenerative tourism > Improving food security > Community planning   Throughout this most inspirational weekend “Innovate Cordova” adventure, the “secret sauce” that makes this unique ecosystem’s game-changing outcomes and resulting benefits possible became as clear as the waters in the Sound: Close collaboration and diversity – of thought, background, perspective – in passionate pursuit of shared objectives .   I left Cordova with many new friends, including a furry one named Buck, and struck by the commonalities of the visit with another area ripe for accelerated, lasting change and impact: the global #nuclearindustry. In just a few weeks, my continuing journey will take me to the Global Forum for Nuclear Innovation in Miami. I’m eager to join with my colleagues there to share what I learned in Alaska and encourage such collaborative application to turn #AmbitionintoAction for the benefit of the industry.   Looking forward to delving ever deeper on this continuing journey and hoping to see many of you along the way.

Senior Associate Data Scientist, Sam Rosenberg has been leading a research team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) that has been conducting a project in Cordova, Alaska for the past year, focused on “electrification”—in this case, transitioning oil-based home heating units to electric heat pumps that operate without the need for interior air ducts. The project has shown there’s not only significant interest from Cordova homeowners in switching to electricity for heating, but that it’s possible to balance existing electrical power grid resources and new demand. The effort also has identified lessons learned that may help other remote communities moving toward electrification. Learn more about what scientists at PNNL have learned from this research by clicking below:

Cathy Renfeldt is #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested?