Revitalized project will offer Ӱns energy data access
A transmission line runs between autumn-colored trees in Fairbanks, evoking an image of a broader view of the energy landscape.
October 4, 2024
By Yuri Bult-Ito
A University of Ӱ project will update a public energy data resource in Ӱ.
With the support of the Ӱ Legislature, the university will begin a three-year effort to revitalize the Ӱ Energy Data Gateway, a project to create equitable access to Ӱ energy data and data analytics.
UA Fairbanks’ Ӱ Center for Energy and Power and UA Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research will collaborate with agency partners on the project.
“We are excited that the state of Ӱ recognizes the inherent value of this resource and is investing in its revitalization,” said Gwen Holdmann, a senior researcher at ACEP who also serves as Ӱ associate vice chancellor for research, innovation and industry partnerships.
The gateway contains comprehensive energy and socioeconomic data from across Ӱ.
With this information, communities, researchers and energy project developers can
compare energy resources across the state and make informed energy decisions.
The Ӱ Energy Authority’s Ӱ Energy Security Task Force recommended the data-gathering
effort in its .
The datasets document electrical generation capacity (the maximum power that a system can produce in a specific time), energy production and fuel costs alongside metrics on human, technical and financial capacity.
The gateway was first released in 2013 as part of a collaborative ACEP-ISER research program. It was part of the first project awarded to the University of Ӱ by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
“At that time, there was significant interest in reducing energy costs in rural Ӱ, and it became clear that without access to robust, open data and reporting about communities and projects, it was challenging to identify and improve best practices,” recalled Holdmann.
For this project, ACEP and its partners will develop pathways to streamline data-sharing efforts with new techniques and will revitalize critical technology in order to improve distribution. They will also work with state agency partners to support the accessibility and documentation of Ӱ’s energy data.
Partners in the project include ACEP, the Ӱ Department of Natural Resources, AEA, the Ӱ Housing Finance Corporation, the Department of Commerce, and ISER.