Renewable Energy Helps �ֻ�ֱ��’s First Goat Dairy

When thinking of renewable energy, a person’s first thought does not immediately go to cheese production. However, in the island community of Kodiak, renewable energy plays a big part in allowing a micro-dairy stay in business.

ACEP’s Amanda Byrd was recently in Kodiak filming for a documentary on food security and �ֻ�ֱ�� agriculture. She visited a local goat dairy, the only U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved Grade A goat milk dairy in �ֻ�ֱ��.

The uses electricity to pasteurize its goat milk. The process, which happens overnight, requires raising the temperature of the goat milk. The energy demand, while small in a community sense, is still a lot for the small dairy. The constant price of energy allows the small farm to plan for its future without energy cost concerns.

boasts a renewable energy portfolio that includes 33 megawatts of hydropower, 9 megawatts of wind energy, 3 megawatts of battery storage and two 1-megawatt flywheels. Renewable sources meet about 99.8% of the community’s energy demand, which averages 18 megawatts and peaks at 22 megawatts. This portfolio creates a steady energy production and keeps the residential energy costs to 16 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Goat milk is the most-consumed milk in the world. The Kodiak dairy creates milk twice a day that is turned into cheeses, ice cream, soaps and other products. The mission dairy is hoping other farmers around the state will see the opportunity to start a goat dairy, and help �ֻ�ֱ�� and the United States move to more goat milk consumption.

Goats are milked at the Kodiak Baptist Mission microdairy. Photo by Amanda Byrd.