Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Case study comparison of two pellet heating facilities in southeastern Alaska

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Over the past decade, wood-energy use in Alaska has grown dramatically. Since 2000, several dozen new wood-energy installations have been established, with numerous others in the design or construction phase. This case study report compares two wood-pellet heating systems in Juneau, Alaska. The Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority, a native housing authority that serves more than 27,000 tribal residents in 11 communities in the southeast, recently established a wood-pellet boiler to provide heating to their 10,000-square-foot warehouse. The Sealaska Corporation is an Alaska Native Corporation that recently installed a wood-pellet system to heat its 58,000-square-foot office building in downtown Juneau. In this case study, we consider the ongoing efforts of both organizations to advance wood energy in southeast Alaska. We review the wood energy conversion process—including the motivation for change, feasibility work, construction, system operation, and lessons learned.

Keywords

Wood energy, pellets, Alaska, rural, community, Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority, Sealaska Corporation, Alaska Native Corporations.

Citation

Nicholls, David; Brackley, Allen; Deering, Robert; Parrent, Daniel; Kleinhenz, Brian; Moore, Craig. 2016. Case study comparison of two pellet heating facilities in southeastern Alaska. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-922. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 23 p.
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/50400