The Alaska legislature has approved a bipartisan bill that will bring affordable, nonpolluting energy to thousands of renters and low-income residents.
As detailed by Solar Power World on May 16, Senate Bill 152 is expected to make community solar power available to more than 260,000 renters and 79,000 Alaskans below the federal poverty line. Subscribers can anticipate a 10% to 20% reduction in their monthly electric bills.
“It’s nice to see Alaska embrace the power of local, clean, distributed energy as an important part of their overall energy mix,” said Kevin Cray, the Coalition for Community Solar Access’ Mountain West Senior Regional Director. “… We applaud the legislature for recognizing this as a net positive for their constituents and urge Gov. [Mike] Dunleavy to sign this bill.”
The Inflation Reduction Act has helped many Americans obtain access to solar panels, which make our energy grid more resilient in the face of extreme weather events increasing because of a warming planet. They also contribute to a healthier world by reducing harmful pollution.
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However, people in rental units sometimes face hurdles to installing panels because of building regulations. Additionally, while solar panels have become more affordable, the high upfront cost can still be too much for some low-income communities.
Community solar programs help address those barriers. Save On Energy is a resource for people who want to transition to solar regardless of their housing type. Its free, quick solar estimate has helped thousands of people find the best rates in their areas with the guidance of experts.
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However, to this point, Alaska has been among the few states without any community solar programs in place, as The Alaska Center noted.
Now, Senate Bill 152 is expected to change that.
“We’ve heard so many times through our Solarize programs: What if I’m a renter? What if I can’t personally afford a solar installation? Finally, all Alaskans on the Railbelt will be able to subscribe to community energy installations and benefit from low-cost renewable power,” Chantal de Alcuaz, co-executive director of The Alaska Center, told Solar Power World. “… This gets us closer to a more equitable energy environment, where clean energy is available to all.”
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Alaska has also received a boost from the Solar for All grant competition. In April, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it was awarding $62.45 million to the Alaska Energy Authority and Alaska Native nonprofit Tanana Chiefs Conference for “long-lasting” solar programs that support disadvantaged communities.
“This is common sense legislation that allows Alaskans to access the fastest-growing segment of the renewable energy industry,” Alaska Public Interest Research Group policy analyst Phil Wight said of Senate Bill 152, per Solar Power World.
“With billions of dollars available from private financing and federal incentives, the bipartisan SAVE Act will enable Alaskans to supercharge the deployment of low-cost, clean electrical generation, further diversifying generation sources and providing significant consumer bill savings,” he added. “This is a bright day for Alaska.”
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I’m typically pretty wordy. But just watch the video.
Disclaimer: Matt Addington is a professional. These bears grazed toward him from 100 yards away while he held tight. Do not try this ever, under any circumstances, or you will likely spend the rest of your time on this earth as bear poop.
Matt Addington is an incredible professional photographer, and I can say that from personal experience. He’s captured images of me in rough shape and somehow made them stunnin’. The Minnesota-based photographer and filmmaker has built a career telling outdoor stories, and his latest bear video proves he knows exactly where to point a camera.
Places like Katmai National Park in Alaska (where this video was taken) can offer unusually close encounters with brown bears, thanks in part to abundant food and tightly managed visitor access. That doesn’t make encounters like this casual or safe to imitate.
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Addington is an extremely experienced outdoorsman, and he was photographing with professional guides Scott and Jackie Stone. For people hoping to photograph bears this way, a guided wildlife photography tour is one of the safest ways to do it. Do not try this in Yellowstone or your local national forest.
The bears were grazing nearly 100 yards away when the group set up. They stayed put as the animals continued feeding and gradually moved closer, resulting in some incredible footage and a once-in-a-lifetime photo.
I can only hope he wore his brown pants under his waders.
A black bear was caught on camera seemingly running errands at a local shopping mall in Anchorage, Alaska over the weekend.
A black bear in Alaska strolled through the automatic doors of the commissary mall on the military base on Sunday. Kory Godbout
The bear entered the commissary mall at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson around 9 a.m. Sunday, KTUU reported, citing a JBER spokesperson.
Wild footage shows the young cub strolling through the commissary’s automatic doors and exploring all that the mall had to offer.
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Barber shop employee, Kory Godbout, saw the black bear approach his store and ran to the break room. Joint Base Elmendorf Exchange
The hungry bear stole and ate a piece of fruit before emptying its bowels on the hallway floor on its way out of the building.
Kory Godbout, who works at the barber shop on the military base, was waiting for his first customer of the day when he spotted the furry intruder traveling through the automatic doors.
“My coworker, who is cutting hair in front of me, she yelled, ‘Bear!’” Godbout recalled.
The grizzly bear decided to “use the restroom in the hallway” of the shopping mall. Kory Godbout
“And I looked up from my phone and the bear was walking into the barber shop right in front of me,” the barber said. “And we all ran into the break room and shut the door behind us.”
After a few minutes, Godbout and his coworkers emerged from the break room and followed the out-of-place bear into the commissary, where it took a peach from the grocery store and ate it.
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The barber recalled that a few onlookers were “going big to try and scare” the bear out of the grocery store.
The bear cub stole a peach and ate it while exploring all that the commissary had to offer. Joint Base Elmendorf Exchange
But all of a sudden, the black bear returned to the barber shop.
“By that time, we were able to run back to the shop and then lock the door,” Godbout said.
The bear cleared its bowels on the floor before leaving the shopping mall. Facebook
“And then we were watching him from the window and then that’s when he decided to, you know, use the restroom in the hallway.”
Officers from Conservation Law Enforcement attended the peculiar grizzly scene and were able to direct the wild animal towards a river and into the woods, according to the JBER spokesperson.
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JBER’s wildlife program manager Colette Brandt said in a press release that the bear had triggered the automatic doors and that Sunday’s events were entirely incidental, KTUU reported.
While there has been a decline in bear-related calls since the military base installed bear-resistant dumpsters, seven bears have been put down at JBER for public safety over the past year.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The southbound lanes of the Glenn Highway were closed Thursday morning near the S-curves due to a fatal crash, according to the Anchorage Police Department.
Police confirmed shortly after 11 a.m. that at least one person was dead. As of 12:45 p.m., one southbound lane is now open to traffic.
The southbound lanes of the Glenn Highway were closed July 9, 2026 near the S-curves due to a fatal crash, according to the Anchorage Police Department.(Alaska’s News Source)
An Alaska’s News Source reporter on the scene said the crash took place near the Eagle River Loop Road. Video from the scene shows multiple vehicles took damage in the incident.
This is a developing story. It has been updated with new information.
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