Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Industrial, Hydro  -  May 3, 2024

Spruce Root Adds Heat Pumps Powered by RE

Spruce Root, a southeast Alaska nonprofit and Community Development Financial Institution, will receive a $2.5 million U.S. DOE grant for a heat pump deployment project for Prince of Wales Island. 

The project, “Decarbonizing the Tongass with Tribally Owned Heat Pumps,” will be a multi-year initiative to add 240 air source heat pumps to residential homes in Prince of Wales Island communities. 

The project will help reduce emissions, improving air quality within Prince of Wales communities and the Tongass National Forest.

Air source heat pumps will utilize local renewable energy from the Alaska Power & Telephone Company’s (AP&T) utility system, helping to more fully utilize existing hydropower resources provided by the Black Bear Lake, South Fork and Híilangaay hydropower projects and evolve the local microgrid. 

The project builds upon the heat pump incentive partnership between AP&T and Sealaska Corporation. Beginning in 2022, the two businesses developed a consumer incentive program for heat pumps to further clean energy development and mutually held environmental goals.

Spruce Root is a Sealaska partner and joined in the efforts to seek federal grant funding to scale up the initiative to achieve more rapid penetration of heat pump technology. The three entities worked together to apply for funds until finally achieving success via the U.S. DOE's “Energy Improvement in Remote Areas” program.

“Spruce Root is excited to be partnering with private industry to improve the community and environmental well-being on Prince of Wales Island,” said Spruce Root Executive Director Alana Peterson in a statement. “It was important to design this application to fund the purchase and installation of residential heat pumps, and provide training to the on-island workforce for installation and maintenance of the heat pumps into the future. AP&T was integral in developing our application for this funding and we hope to continue bringing more funding into our region through these types of partnerships.