Concerns around energy independence and high costs have led many places in rural Alaska to look for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. The Department of Energy recently announced the awardees of a new program; the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project, or ETIPP, will help five Alaska towns explore projects from hybrid fishing vessels to reducing reliance on diesel.

A small eastern Aleutian community is now getting nearly all of its energy from renewable sources. With a second hydro facility that began producing power late this spring, the city of King Cove has dramatically reduced its dependence on diesel.