Alaska Airlines goes green, harness wind power in Nome

Alaska Airlines recently announced that it has set up a 30-feet wind turbine in the vicinity of the Nome Terminal and installed solar panel equipment on the roof to produce a significant amount of electricity to power the airport. With the use of wind and solar power, Alaska Airlines has perhaps become the first domestic carrier in the United States to pursue an alternative energy program for an airport operation.

Alaska Airlines in a statement said that it is hopeful that with the help the wind turbine and solar panels it will be able to produce around 15,000 kilowatt hours of power per year. The amount of alternative electricity thus produced will be about 6% of Nome airport terminal’s load. The airline also stated that if the alternative energy program proves to be successful then this concept would be expanded to other rural airports in the state of Alaska.

Nome is a small town situated on the western edge of Alaska. The town is either approachable via water and air. Alaska Airlines is among the few airlines that operate out of Nome. The airline chose Nome to pursue its first alternative energy program because it is known for its fierce winds of 80 to 90 mph. Besides, the summers have long days while short in winter in Nome. The place therefore gets strong winds and long days of light in summer to harness both wind and solar energy effectively.