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Alaska Railroad tapping into wind and solar power:
New technology being utilized on Turnagain Arm

Photo courtesy of Robert Kasuboski
Solar and wind energy are being used by the Alaska Railroad to power a system designed to optimize train operations and avoid collisions.

By Julie St. Louis
Turnagain Times Correspondent

We all know the Seward Highway for its winding curves amidst glorious scenery, but did you know it’s also serving as a test site for new technologies for the Alaska Railroad, and may also benefit area residents in the future? Department of Transportation wayside stations along this “All-American Road” already provide important weather and road surface data to help make your road travel safer, but soon other types of wayside devices will help improve rail transportation safety as well.
The new solar/wind power instrument, near milepost 104 at Indian and constructed within the last year, is the first of its kind in Alaska. Outfitted with solar panels, a small windmill and communications equipment, it represents phase three of a $12 million Federal Railroad Administration funded Collision Avoidance System now being developed and implemented by the railroad.
According to information distributed by the Alaska Railroad, the system is designed to optimize train operations by automating many dispatch, train crew, and on-track equipment operator functions that will ultimately make the rails safer for locomotive engineers, track workers, passengers and freight transport. The technologies being placed on locomotives and along the tracks will prevent train-to-train collisions by enforcing speed restrictions and authorizing permission for use of tracks. It will also provide protection for roadway workers and equipment near or on tracks, improve efficiency and increase capacity.
Phases one and two were fully operational in 2006, and included distribution of mobile and base station radios, placement of Global Positioning Satellite receivers on all trains and installation of a Computer Aided Dispatcher.
“The first three phases of the CAS have gone well,” said Tim Thompson, spokesman for the railroad. “ We have been recording data on the wattage produced by wind and solar power at the Indian wayside device, and soon we will test how well it integrates with the rest of the system’s components
Prior to CAS, locomotive operators would call in via radio to dispatchers at Central Traffic Control to check on the location of other trains and track workers on parts of the railway that they were about to enter.
“Full operation of the CAS will still require a human operator in each locomotive, but it will more quickly provide that individual with improved information to help in decision making,” said Thompson.
When the CAS is complete, expected within the next 3 years, it will also be able to detect infrastructure failures or potential violations and intervene when necessary. For example, if a train passes a signal that is red the CAS will stop the train.
“If all goes well with the test phase of the wayside device,” said Thompson, “communications and track data exchange will be powered by solar and wind, where in places like Indian access to electricity is geographically or cost prohibitive.”
Thompson added that this particular device has caused quite a few inquiries from Turnagain area residents and commuters.
“One gentleman thought it was one of the DOT weather stations and asked why he couldn’t access its data on-line,” he said. “Another person wanted to know how much power it generated because he was thinking about supplementing his utilities with wind power.”
Thompson consulted with Russ Frazier, Alaska Railroad Director of signal and telecommunications, and provided answers to inquirers. The wind generator on the wayside device is rated at 600 watts at 40 miles per hour of wind, while 800 watts of solar power is generated, and both maintain 2,500 amps per hour of battery backup to continuously power the signal and communications equipment.
It seems more and more people these days are curious about renewable energy systems as power solutions not only for their homes, but also for the state. The Tri-Borough Commission, representing Anchorage, Kenai, and Matanuska-Susitna boroughs, released a report in February recommending the immediate adoption of the State Energy Policy. The commission also encouraged energy efficiency measures, the distribution of generated renewable electricity at the customer level through a comprehensive “net metering” program, and the establishment of a school of energy within the University of Alaska to promote energy research, education and workforce training focused on supporting the energy goals of the State of Alaska.
The state Legislature seems to have come to a similar conclusion about the importance of renewable energy development with the passing of last week’s House Bill 152 concurring with the final Senate version of the bill, 39-0. HB 152 creates a Renewable Energy Fund for Alaska with an initial $50 million appropriation. The bill also includes intent language to spend $50 million for four more years, for a total fiscal note of $250,000,000.
Also in December 2007, the UAA Chancellor’s Cabinet approved a new energy policy for UAA, creating a systematic and focused approach to energy conservation and ultimately, environmental protection. UA spends $4 to 5 million annually on energy.
Locally within Girdwood, a community effort organized by Doug Wu, who operates a is director of the Girdwood Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development initiative. This community group is looking at renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydro to power the community, and to position Girdwood as a model for other Alaska towns.
Members of the initiative believe that Girdwood could serve as a model sustainable community where the state can invest its best technologies, including renewable energy development. Girdwood would serve as a nexus for research, education, and tourism in sustainability, efficiency, self-sufficiency and renewable energy.
“Renewable energy is nothing new to this state,” Wu said. “The Alaska Railroad has been using solar panels to power signaling equipment in remote areas since sometime in the 80’s. Hydropower played an important part in Alaska’s early industrial development with its first hydroelectric plant installed in Juneau in 1893.”
Wu further added that, Hydro, solar, wind and geothermal are proven renewable energy sources. They provide an ongoing source of energy with no ongoing fuel costs and no pollution.
“With the rising cost of fuel and the declining dollar, it makes economic sense to develop capitol projects that extract our renewable assets and the sooner, the better,” said Wu. “That’s just simple economics.”
Stay tuned for more as CAS testing and implementation continue, and visit the ARR website for updates on the CAS at http://AlaskaRailroad.com. Also, if you are interested in weather and traffic updates for the Turnagain Arm, visit the Turnagain Times website (TurnagainTimes.com) where there is a link under “Useful Stuff” that accesses the Dept. of Transportation website for road weather conditions in Portage and Girdwood at McHugh Creek, milepost 111.8 and at Bird Point, milepost 96.3. Finally, to find out more about initiatives for sustainable development and renewable energy in the Girdwood area check out http://www.akreason.org/gresd.