U.S. Energy Secretary visits Kodiak renewable energy grids

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited Alaska Tuesday to see renewable energy projects near Kodiak.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office organized the visit through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the local utility said.

Darron Scott, CEO of Kodiak Electric Association, says Perry toured some of Kodiak’s facilities and their fully renewable grid. The utility has been running on 98 percent renewable power since 2014, Scott said. The utility fires up its diesel generators once a quarter to make sure they still work as backups.

Scott said Perry was most interested in the battery and flywheel energy storage devices, and how the island utility deals with cyber security. He also got to see the island’s electric shipping crane.

It was a one-day trip to the island, Scott said.

Channel 2 reached out to the Energy Department, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office Tuesday, but wasn’t able to get more information about Perry’s itinerary in Alaska.