Recently, Jason Paskvan, the Energy and Climate Planning Specialist for Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), was featured in an interview discussing renewable energy with Amanda Byrd from the Alaska Center for Energy and Power on KUAC’s show “Energy of the North.”
TCC’s Infrastructure Division is working to incorporate renewable energy solutions into our remote communities, which will save residents many thousands of dollars and supply clean energy in the villages. Jason oversees part of the $62.5 million Alaska Tribal Solar for All grant, aimed at giving Tribal residents along the Railbelt, a 700-mile area in Alaska that includes the electrical grid and geographical area served by the Alaska Railroad, access to solar energy benefits.
“It’s our own people bringing in this technology,” says Paskvan, whose Grandfather, Benedict Jones, was the first Chief of Koyukuk and one of the original Tribal members of Tanana Chiefs Conference. “The benefits from that are going to be for our people.”
TCC’s portion of the Solar for All grant implementation currently includes four solar farms on the Alaska Railbelt. One of these is likely to be erected either in Nenana or in the Delta Junction area. The other three solar farms will be owned by other Alaska Native Tribes on the Railbelt, likely around South Central.
Listen to Jason’s interview here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NyVEobfehs0_b5pe-9hxdEZisocLOq9K/view and learn more about our Infrastructure Division and its initiatives here: https://www.tananachiefs.org/infrastructure/