VECKTA chosen as Launch Alaska’s technology partner to enable clean energy projects for U.S. Department of Energy-backed Alaska Energyshed initiative
Launch Alaska, a climate tech accelerator, has selected VECKTA, the source for onsite energy solutions, as its technology platform to facilitate clean energy deployments for communities in Northwest and Southeast Alaska as part of the Alaska Energyshed project.
Burdened by high energy costs and aging grid infrastructure, Alaska communities desperately need clean, reliable, and affordable energy sources. The Alaska Energyshed, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), will identify and develop at least three clean energy projects across the Northwest Arctic and Southeast Alaska regions to help save money, reduce costs and environmental impacts from climate change, and improve local economies. The effort involves collaboration between Alaska communities and regional Alaska Native corporations, with VECKTA as an enabling technology partner.
“Establishing a repeatable, scalable process for assessing, designing, building, and financing optimal sites and onsite energy projects is critical. Alaskans bear some of the highest energy burdens in the country, with many communities paying 10 times the national average to heat their homes, and some spending 50 percent of their income on heating bills,” said Isaac Vanderburg, Launch Alaska CEO. “With VECKTA as our core technology, the Alaska Energyshed will have a seamless, user-friendly, and democratized space for deploying the energy systems we desperately need.”
During the initial phase, VECKTA will adapt its platform for the program’s specific needs, test custom tools with a core group of program users, and support piloting the program. Upon official program launch, Launch Alaska will use VECKTA’s platform to assess all potential sites and model optimal projects based on site characteristics, available incentives, and viable technologies. Users can provide feedback on projects in their communities, manage their portfolios, issue RFPs, select from vetted vendors, and secure project funding through VECKTA’s marketplace.
“Our principal mission is to create an interactive environment inside the VECKTA platform that empowers Energyshed users to assess, competitively source, and develop innovative energy projects in Alaska. With our purpose-built platform, users get the intelligence needed to make informed, confident decisions and the marketplace tools to take action,” said Gareth Evans, VECKTA’s CEO and founder. “The work we do with Energyshed will create a framework and process replicable by communities globally to accelerate the deployment of onsite energy systems. We can not emphasize enough how thrilled we are to play a central role in helping Alaska reach energy sovereignty and remove the heavy energy burden many of its communities bear.”
Site data, 3-D models, and aerial imagery will be integrated into VECKTA’s platform, enabling users to easily visualize detailed information. The Alaska Energyshed initiative will also involve securing at least a $10 million funding package for the first projects with plans to scale and expand. VECKTA and Launch Alaska will complete the initial project phase in December 2024.
