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feet. The containers, which are each 8 feet wide and more than 9 feet tall, also provide additional storage space. Minnerly says the storage space inside each container—both the ground level and second-level containers—is used to store various items, including spare parts. Cost savings . The total cost to con- struct the garage—including the ship- ping containers, siding, roof, lumber, and fixtures—was approximately $250,000. Even with the high cost of shipping some- thing as large as a shipping container to Fairbanks and then to the resort, that is still far less expensive than the cost to build a conventional garage of this size and makes it an interesting model for ski areas to explore when considering how to build their next maintenance facility. Another interesting investment the resort made in response to its remote location that saves costs was to install a huge 3D printing machine to create parts on demand instead of waiting weeks, even months, for delivery from Fair- banks, Anchorage, or from the Lower 48. The machine creates items such as plant- ers for the greenhouse, vases for flowers, item displays, special fittings, replace- ment dash panels for vans, ventilation
parts, and even gift shop souvenirs and signs for the resort. Minnerly could not estimate how much the printer saves the resort each month year-round, especially in winter, when the only road from Fairbanks is often closed, other than to say it is a sig- nificant amount. Geothermal-Powered Chena Hot Springs Resort is named for its mineral springs, which not only feed a large shoulder-deep hot pool that’s open to guests year-round, but also power and heat all the resort’s facilities, not just the new garage. The technology. The geothermal proj- ect began in 2006, when owner Bernie Karl installed Alaska’s first such opera- tional facility with the help of the state government. Then, the two 200-kilowatt (kW) generators cost $2.1 million and displaced 150,000 gallons of diesel annu- ally. Another condenser added in 2014 produces 320 kW on its own, producing a total of 720 kW of electricity, enough for 100 percent of the resort’s daily needs and eliminating the use of more than 250,000 gallons of diesel a year. Until then, due to its remote loca- tion, the property had to rely on diesel
generators for electricity, and there were many blackouts due to weather-relat- ed delivery problems. The geothermal power plants cut energy costs by 83 percent, and provide electricity for the resort, its live-on-site employees, and some local residents. The super-heated geothermal water comes out of the ground at 165 degrees, so it does not require additional heating via boiler, as is the case in many other hot springs areas. Chena’s super-hot water is then mixed with refrigerant, turning it into steam, which is forced through a screw-drive to produce power. Plant manager Steven Vandermass makes it sound simple. “It’s 100-year-old technology that allows us to produce electricity throughout this property year-round,” he says. Education and tourism. The resort is proud of its energy innovations. The geothermal plant has a huge see-through window in the visitor area to view the generators, with helpful signs explaining each piece of equipment to visitors. The resort’s website also prominently features its various renewables projects and sus- tainable operating efforts. Geothermal energy also powers the resort’s year-round Aurora Ice Museum. »
Left: The window in the visitor area of the geothermal power plant is labeled to identify machine parts, including the condenser and pumps.
Below: The resort charges up its Ski-Doo electric snowmobiles to use for daytime outings, Aurora Borealis tours, and transport for resort ops staff.
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