CEA Candidate Questions: Erin Whitney

Chugach Electric Association will be accepting paper ballots for its board of directors election until May 14, and electronic ballots until May 18. Until then, the Alaska Energy Transparency Project will be asking candidates how they see the cooperative’s future and what part they intend to play in it.

Here are answers from Erin Whitney, one of three candidates running for the single open seat on the Chugach board. Whitney, a research professor at the University of Alaska’s Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP), has provided expertise to CEA’s energy storage projects, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska’s Railbelt coordination efforts, and the Solarize Anchorage campaign. Her candidate profile can be found here.



Erin Whitney — from her CEA candidate profile

Questionnaire

Q: Why do you want to be a CEA board member?

Since starting as a research faculty member at the Anchorage office of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2014, I have worked with Chugach Electric on several projects and am interested in being more involved in decision-making and consideration of issues related to generation sources, coordination with other Railbelt utilities, and new energy and storage technologies.

I bring my professional experience as an energy researcher and program manager both at the University of Alaska as well as at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado. I have led a number of large research projects, and I founded the Solar Technologies Program at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I continue to lead that program as well as ACEP’s Data Collection & Analysis Program. As part of my work with the Solar Technologies Program, I helped initiate and provide technical assistance for the popular Solarize campaigns, which have spread across the state. I enjoy connecting with professionals of varied backgrounds and place a high value on clear, concise, and transparent communication; critical analytical abilities; and relationship-building.

I hope to bring my experience to the Board and also learn from those already serving to help ensure that Chugach continues to be a responsive, responsible, and innovative agent for its customers.

Q: Are there any particular projects or ideas you would champion as a board member? Are there any you would oppose?

I will encourage new electrification strategies that build load, spread fixed costs, and reduce rates. Chugach can and should continue to lead the Railbelt toward low-cost, low-carbon electricity.

Many utilities are witnessing either stagnant or declining loads, which have the potential to further drive up consumer rates if systems can’t be operated more efficiently. Utilities have large fixed costs that need to be spread amongst the total number of kilowatt hours sold. One solution to this is beneficial electrification.  Beneficial electrification is a term that describes using electricity to replace direct fossil fuel use for natural gas, home heating oil or gasoline in a way that reduces overall emissions and energy costs for co-op members.  Beneficial electrification can come in many forms, including electric vehicle charging, the use of thermal heat pumps, and increased electrification of homes and businesses as technology continues to evolve.  Increased electric use can benefit member-owners and provides an opportunity to maintain the electric load as well as the financial health of cooperatives at the same time. 

Chugach also needs to continue its involvement in Railbelt Electric Reliability Organization discussions, which will ultimately allow for greater penetration of renewables. Alongside Railbelt-wide initiatives, I would encourage Chugach to incentivize electric vehicles, pursue battery and other energy storage mechanisms to accommodate variable renewable generation, engage with and incentivize independent power producers, and install smart metering apparatus to better understand and optimize grid operations.

I will also encourage Chugach Electric to raise its net metering cap, following similar actions by Homer Electric Association and Golden Valley Electric Association. This action will provide security and certainty for both customers and renewable energy installers.

Q: If elected you will serve a four year term. If re-elected in the future, you could serve on the board for up to twelve years. What challenges and opportunities will CEA face in the next four years, and in the next twelve? Ideally, what do you want CEA to be like four years from now? Twelve years from now?

Over the next decade, Chugach will need to consider electrification trends, increasing renewables, coordination with Railbelt utilities, finite natural gas supplies, and new approaches to rate structures and smart metering. Chugach can and should continue to lead the Railbelt toward low-cost, low-carbon electricity.

Q: The price of natural gas fuel typically makes up about a third of CEA’s operating expenses, while depreciation accounts for 17 percent, and administration 13 percent. Of the factors that drive CEA’s rates, which are under the board’s control? What are your plans for managing them?

Consumer rates on the Railbelt range from about 19 cents to 24 cents per kWh, which are among the highest in the nation, largely due to the cost of natural gas. Independent power producers (such as wind and solar farms) must navigate varying requirements for interconnections between each service territory, and customers don’t always receive the lowest-cost power from fossil fuel generators because there isn’t yet a coordinated, Railbelt-wide approach for economic dispatch of the various generating stations along the Railbelt. The improved coordination our utilities are headed toward through an ERO could help address that issue and others. The boards of each utility are key in ensuring that this effort moves forward and achieves the desired results.

Q: CEA is currently meeting its power generation needs. What reasons, if any, justify the construction of new generation or the premature retirement of existing generation?

From a reliability perspective, Chugach must prioritize energy generation and consumption in its service area, since it may not always be able to count on back-up power from the south or north if electrical interties go down. Regional prioritization activities could include new clean generation, but also energy storage strategies as well as smart metering and control strategies that better optimize existing resources. At the same time, Chugach must consider coordination with the entire Railbelt if it is serious about getting more renewables on the grid since larger electrical grids allow for absorption of higher levels of renewables.

Q: What approach should CEA take to Railbelt-wide cooperation? What potential problems or opportunities exist for CEA in the ongoing process of forming an Electrical Reliability Organization? What would you see as an ideal outcome for CEA’s participation in an ERO? What is an undesirable outcome?

To the degree they are not constrained by confidentiality regarding financial information, board members of the separate Railbelt utilities should be communicating to the greatest extent possible, among each other and with the public, about the programs and projects that benefit their members. 

A certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) would standardize procedures for Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and enhance overall Railbelt reliability and physical and cybersecurity. Potential pitfalls include delays in the formation of an ERO. An ideal outcome would be the timely realization of an ERO and the ability of Chugach to broaden its generation and storage resources in the context of Railbelt-wide operations.

Q: How would you have voted on these recent CEA board decisions? Why?

• Acquiring Municipal Light and Power. If in support, are there aspects of the acquisition you would have managed differently?

  In favor. Consolidation will hopefully lead to better service, more efficient operation, and lower rates in the long run.

• Establishing a Member Advisory Council.

  In favor. I’d like to see the Member Advisory Council generously consulted on electric utility decisions, directions, and policies.