Fostering development of innovative solutions to Alaska’s energy challenges.

UAF is an AA/EO employer and educational institution.

Alaska Center for Energy and Poweracep.uaf.edu • 907-474-5402

Program Snapshot:Direct-Use Options for Hot Springs in Adak, Akutan and AtkaThis 2014-2015 project explored the use of geothermal energy for three remote Aleutian Island villages, spe-cifically, low-cost, non-power options for the direct use of geothermal energy from hot springs, with an emphasis on district heating.

Project BackgroundGeothermal energy is a renewable resource that uses the heat of the earth to produce electricity or provide direct heat. Producing electricity requires high-temperature geo-thermal resources, but direct use systems can work with low-to-moderate temperature water to heat buildings, run greenhouses, and aid industrial processes. Geothermal direct heat could provide an environmentally sound and economically viable way to heat many buildings in Alaska. New technologies are increasing access to direct heating, but the remote location of most geothermal resources in Alaska remains a challenge.

Because Alaska is located on the “Ring of Fire,” a volcanic arc circling the Pacific Ocean, there are many opportunities for geothermal development in the state, and the locations of more than 100 thermal springs and wells have been documented. The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, and the Alaska Energy Authority share an interest in utilizing geothermal resourc-es for district heating and other direct use applications to benefit communities in the area.

Project LocationThree remote villages were chosen for this study: Adak, Akutan, and Atka, all located southwest of mainland Alaska

in the Aleutian Islands, between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

There are two known hot spring locations on Adak Island, but the most promising one in terms of heat resources and accessibility is at Andrew Bay.

The Akutan geothermal area is one of the two best-known and most extensively explored geothermal locations in the Aleutian Islands. The Akutan hot springs are located at mul-tiple sites in Hot Springs Bay Valley and discharge via the local streams and ground water emptying into Hot Springs Bay.

Atka has a large, recent volcanic field with several surface-level thermal manifestations. However, there is no record of those sites having been visited by a geologist with geo-thermal industry experience.

Andrew Bay hot spring at Adak. Photo courtesy of Dick Benoit

Fostering development of innovative solutions to Alaska’s energy challenges.

For more information on ACEP projects, go to acep.uaf.edu/projects.

Project Funding PartnersAlaska Energy Authority

Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association

For all three communities, the hot spring resources are located at a considerable distance (4-8 miles) from their current population centers.

Project DescriptionThis project included a number of components: review of literature documenting geothermal resources in the target communities, feasibility assessment regarding local digital elevation models, identification of permitting implications, background research on developing small-scale geother-mal district heating systems, collection of community heat-ing requirements and spatial layouts, field measurements, and community visits with stakeholders.

In summer 2014, researchers visited the communities of Adak and Akutan. They visited several hot spring sites iden-tified in the geothermal literature to collect supplemental field data, including temperature, flow, pH, chemical pro-files, and site photographs.

ConclusionsAdak’s Andrew Bay hot spring is not suitable for geother-mal direct use applications in its current state, given its relatively low temperature and flow rate. There are nu-merous challenges associated with its physical location in addition to its distance from the main location of the Adak community. Exploratory drilling would be required to determine whether the resource could be expanded to meet the community’s needs. Current information does not indicate that a commercially viable community-level heating project would result.

Akutan’s thermal resources in Hot Springs Bay Valley are among the most impressive in the Aleutian Islands and hold the potential to meet a large portion of the commu-nity’s heating requirements. They could also potentially support the development of a community and/or commer-cial greenhouse or a small eco-tourism site. Results from the 2015 drilling program will be used to assess production rate extraction capabilities for electrical power production and, along with the ongoing water quality surveys, should be consulted to improve understanding of the hot springs resource and to investigate possible options for sharing infrastructure costs and utilizing spent thermal water from a geothermal power plant.

While schedule and cost constraints prohibited a site visit to Atka as part of the 2014 effort, analysis of community energy requirements and information available in the exist-ing geothermal literature indicate that direct-use applica-tions of the hot spring waters at the current community site would not be affordable

Hot spring at Atka. Photo courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory

Hot Springs Bay Valley, Akutan. Photo courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory