University must lead the way to clean energy in Alaska

Each day both the radio and the newspaper dutifully report the current price of oil. Just once, I wish the journalist would then report "the price of the sun, wind and flowing water — still zero." Maybe if I donate enough to public radio they'll do that on my birthday?

Energy is fundamental to everything we do, and high energy costs plague our rural communities. It's painfully clear how dependent our state is on revenue from fossil energy production, yet we have no control over the price of oil. Oil price volatility puts us on a fiscal roller coaster that we need to get off if we want economic stability.

More importantly, climate change is unraveling our life-support systems. Caused by burning fossil fuels, climate change is causing erosion, melting permafrost and increasing wildfires, and is endangering our fish by warming and acidifying oceans. Warming is happening far more rapidly in Alaska than the rest of the nation due to a phenomenon called polar amplification. Climate change also increases Alaska's economic vulnerability, because many in the rest of the world are reducing their use of oil and gas. Hence, moving away from fossil energy dependence is a responsible risk management plan.

The role of the university

A fundamental role of any state university system is to provide leadership by envisioning what's best for communities and economies. Significant changes in our energy systems can't happen overnight. To achieve a "clean energy" economy, especially given our geographic and small-market challenges, we will need well-planned and practical transition strategies. It's time for the University of Alaska to provide leadership in transitioning to a clean energy economy. Tough budget times present no excuse; in fact, declining budgets present a great opportunity to realign priorities with 21st century needs. And investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy saves money.

Looking beyond our borders

Across the nation, universities are taking the lead in modeling the post-carbon economy by pursuing "zero-energy ready" campuses and "green" buildings.  Student teams compete in community service projects to build zero-energy homes, help weatherize old homes and install renewable energy systems. Many universities are using their faculty, students, staff and campuses to demonstrate how we can shift to clean energy economies.

During 2015 about half a million solar panels were installed every day around the world, and in China two wind turbines were installed every hour. Countries and states in the Lower 48 that have made the commitment to invest in clean energy are showing strong economic development and job growth far surpassing that of fossil fuel industries. Jobs are increasing in building energy efficiency improvements (e.g. home weatherization and commercial/public building energy retrofits) and renewable energy systems (project developers, engineers, equipment vendors, installers, operators) among others. Many of these jobs are local; they cannot be outsourced.

Current UA efforts

Many University of Alaska researchers are conducting excellent work related to climate change. At UAF's Alaska Center for Energy and Power research faculty are (among many other things) pioneering ways to integrate renewable energy into existing diesel micro-grids and developing new ways to harness hydrokinetic energy.  Researchers with UAA's Institute of Social and Economic Research have studied energy use around the state, and the economic costs related to energy use and climate change.

[Renewable energy heating system means big savings for Alaska SeaLife Center]

UAF/Bristol Bay and UAA/Mat-Su have Sustainable Energy certificate programs, with classes offered both in-person and online, aimed both at "energy literacy" and workforce development. Thanks to this program the UAF-Bristol Bay campus has reduced its electricity consumption by 31 percent since 2009, and continues to implement energy cost-saving strategies.

In addition, many university facility managers are already working hard to reduce energy costs. But these efforts are simply not enough, given the scope of the challenges we face.

Leading during tough times

So, how could the University of Alaska establish a leadership position in the transition to a post-carbon economy? First, a course on energy literacy, including climate change impacts, should be a general education requirement for every student. Given the potential impacts of climate change to all humans and the fact that everyone pays energy bills, energy literacy is as important as basic math or writing skills.

Second, UA President Jim Johnsen and others have stated many times that the university must play a large role in developing the workforce of the future. When it comes to energy, the future lies in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Sure, many Alaskans are hoping to be rescued by a natural gas pipeline, but even Gov. Bill Walker, speaking about the state's unhealthy reliance on the price of oil, said "we don't want to simply repeat the process with natural gas."

[To meet renewable energy goals, Alaska and U.S. need long-term storage plan]

Third, internal policies promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy must be adopted across the university system. Investing in energy efficiency saves money now and far into the future. Demonstrating practical use of local renewable energy resources provides fantastic education and training opportunities. This is the "walking the talk" part of leadership.

Primarily, however, top administrators and members of the Board of Regents must recognize 1) healthy communities and economies require affordable, stably-priced clean energy, 2) leading the transition to a post-carbon economy is critical for our state, and 3) this challenge requires the vision and willingness to invest in new strategies, despite (and due to) tough budget times.

Regaining control of our energy future

We can quibble about how long fossil fuels will hang on. We can wait things out, sliding into recession and hoping the price of oil increases, but "hope is not a strategy." In the span of humanity, fossil fuels are a mere blip, and burning those resources will cause great harm to current and future generations. To paraphrase energy guru Amory Lovins, fossil fuels made us modern, but now we need a new fire.

Recently, I've been inspired by young Alaskans writing in these pages such as Elvie Underwood, Laura Crews and Dr. Tom Marsik — visionaries who clearly care about the future of Alaska. If policymakers at all levels can begin to embrace the concept that a "sustainable" economy means one that is based on the sustainable use of local, renewable resources, we can begin to develop strategies that will allow both rural and urban Alaskans to jump off the roller coaster, create new jobs, and thrive into the 22nd century and beyond.

Campuses are small communities. They provide the perfect places to model this transition and provide the education and training needed for communities across our diverse and wonderful state. In most cases we don't need new technology, we just need the willpower to head down the clean energy path.

While we have no control over the price of fossil energy, we do have control over our energy future. Investing in university policies and programs that give Alaskans the tools to thrive far into the future — that's leadership.

Mark Masteller is an assistant professor and director of the Sustainable Energy Program at the University of Alaska Anchorage Mat-Su campus in Palmer.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.