Wind power now provides residents of an isolated Alaska village, Goodnews Bay, with renewable energy to run a water treatment facility, reducing the village’s dependence on imported diesel fuel while maintaining crucial infrastructure.

Southwest Windpower, in conjunction with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Anchorage-based Susitna Energy Systems, installed three Skystream 3.7 wind turbines, which will power ANTHC’s two-year-old state-of-the-art water plant. The turbines are projected to offset 75 percent of diesel fueled energy consumption of the facility. In high wind conditions, excess energy produced by the wind turbines will be distributed amongst the village through a micro-grid.

“The wind turbines take advantage of an available natural resource and will be used to offset electrical power demands for the water system and ultimately make sanitation and improved health more sustainable for the community,” said John Warren, P.E., engineering services director, Division of Environmental Health and Engineering, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

Goodnews Bay is a coastal village located about 500 miles west of Anchorage and is the home of about 250 residents. Until the wind turbines became operational last month, the village was completely reliant on diesel generators to supply its electricity.