The first load and electrification forecast for the Railbelt published

September 13, 2023

The Alaska Railbelt
Photo by Golden Valley Electric Association
ACEP researchers published the first load and electrification forecast for the Railbelt.

Accurate forecasting of future needs for power is important in resource planning for electrical grids. How electricity is used, such as through electric vehicles and heat pumps, affects how much and how varied the electricity needs will be. Behind-the-meter solar systems 鈥 the energy produced by solar panels and stored separately from the grid, or the source of power is positioned 鈥渂ehind the meter,鈥 and therefore does not need to be counted by a meter before being used for homes and buildings 鈥 will also affect the amount and variability of electric loads.

Electrification adoption and load forecasting in Arctic regions and Alaska, however, is limited. ACEP鈥檚 Railbelt Decarbonization study team has recently published a paper that provides the first load and electrification adoption forecast for the Alaska Railbelt transmission system.

The paper, entitled 鈥溾 and published in MDPI Energies, was written by the ACEP Railbelt Decarbonization project team, including Phylicia Cicilio, Alexis Francisco, Cameron Morelli, Michelle Wilber, Chris Pike, Jeremy VanderMeer, Steve Colt, Dominique Pride, and Noelle Helder.

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For more information on ACEP鈥檚 work in Railbelt Decarbonization, contact Phylicia Cicilio at pcicilio@alaska.edu.