AEA Announces Village Energy Efficiency Grant Awards

ANCHORAGE—The Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) announced that forty-seven rural Alaska communities from across the state have been selected to receive funding under a new Village Energy Efficiency Program (VEEP) initiative that is supported by a $1 million grant from Wells Fargo.   

As a result of this solicitation and its competitive application process, the forty-seven selected communities will receive approximately $1.1 million in Wells Fargo and AEA funding, with local match at approximately $397,000. Eligible communities under VEEP are those with a population no greater than 8,000.

The City of Ouzinkie and the Municipality of Skagway are just two examples of communities that can anticipate annual savings after using the Wells Fargo/VEEP funds to replace existing lighting with the latest in LED technology.

In Ouzinkie, fifty-five streetlights and six harbor lights are expected to be replaced, reducing the City’s electric consumption by nearly 60 percent, with more than $8,000 in annual savings anticipated. Skagway will replace twenty-seven streetlights. The Municipality’s electric use is expected to be reduced by nearly 50 percent, resulting in more than $1,200 savings annually.

The Wells Fargo Outdoor Lighting Program, announced in August, is a public/private partnership designed to benefit rural Alaska communities by providing efficient outdoor lighting that can help reduce long-term fixed energy costs, while supporting community health and public safety.