‘Biomass Bag’ Idea Finalist in Marketplace Competition

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Erik Wander/KMXT

Thirty finalists from across Alaska have been selected to advance to the next round of the fourth Alaska Marketplace competition, where they will vie for a portion of the nearly 300-thousand dollars in award money for business and other projects. And one Kodiak resident is among the finalists.

KMXT’s Erik Wander has more.

One of the finalists selected by the Alaska Marketplace competition, which will be held in May, was Peter Olsen of Kodiak. Olsen, who has been working on renewable energy and wood energy projects, like firewood and wood chips, came up with the idea of a biomass bag, to address the issue of transporting cut wood long distances from rural communities economically. He said it is one of the biggest challenges facing rural communities in Alaska.

(Olsen 1 50 sec. "It’s a wood chip or firewood … in the winter time.")

Olsen said the biomass bag is based on a similar project in Port Yukon and that the Alaska Marketplace competition has been sympathetic to such projects in recent years.

(Olsen 2 55 sec. "They have expressed … within that budget.")

Olsen said the timing is good, and likes his chances of receiving funding, because of recent interest in and focus on renewable energy.

(Olsen 3 50 sec. "With energy being as … simplicity really is a virtue.")

Finalists have until April 3rd to write a more comprehensive business plan with the help of entrepreneurial coaches. Rural residents will be given stipends for their travel Anchorage for the final competition at ConocoPhillips, which will be held May 5th. The finalists will pitch their ideas in person to judges, who will choose winners to receive seed money for their ideas. I’m Erik Wander.

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