For decades, it’s been hard to think of Alaska without thinking of oil. The state has the third-highest petroleum consumption, per capita, of any US state. More than three quarters of people there heat their homes using fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)—well above the US average. Until recently, Genevieve Gagne-Hawes, a resident of Alaska’s capital, Juneau, was among them. But when she received a bill of almost $900 last March for heating her home during the winter months, she decided to find an alternative.
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