The winner will serve a three-year term on the board. He will represent District 3, which includes the southern peninsula south of Kasilof.
Mail-in ballots can be received until Monday. Members who did not vote, however, can vote in person at the cooperative's annual meeting Tuesday at Soldotna High School.
Michael Pate has served on HEA's board for 17 years. Pate is being challenged by Brian Hirsch, who directs the Homer-based nonprofit Earth Energy Systems.
Pate is the state managing director for Acordia, an insurance brokerage company tied to Wells Fargo Bank.
Changes in the energy needs on the Kenai Peninsula are coming, Pate said, citing the impending closure of the Agrium fertilizer plant, a large HEA customer, and the proposed Pebble mine near Lake Iliamna. HEA and the mine owner, Northern Dynasty Minerals, are currently studying whether the cooperative could provide energy for the project.
Pate also said energy issues on the peninsula tie directly to those facing the state.
"You have to look 20, 30 or 40 years in the future, not only where the consumer base is going to go, but what technology is going to change," Pate said.
He said his years of experience on the cooperative's board of directors help him understand the changing landscape of Alaska's energy situation.
"It does take a period of time to learn ... about the energy business," Pate said.
Hirsch has a doctorate degree in natural resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a focus on energy issues in Canada and Alaska.
His nonprofit, Earth Energy Systems, works with local governments to create sustainable energy projects. One project was the development of the Sustainable Energy Council of the Alaska Peninsula, which helps coordinate renewable energy projects.
Hirsch said Alaska has unique energy issues. Residents cannot look at solutions used in other parts of the country as a template for navigating energy issues here, he said.
HEA should consider researching renewable energy and whether it can work here to supplement traditional generation, Hirsch said. Tidal turbines or wind-generated energy projects could be feasible, he said.
"If we don't do the research, we'll never know whether it can work here," Hirsch said.
Alaska and its energy organizations should pursue the millions of dollars available in federal solicitations and grants to research and develop alternative energy projects, he said.
This year's HEA ballot also includes nine propositions. The propositions are described as basic housekeeping measures, and both southern Kenai Peninsula candidates support all of them.
Mail-in ballots are due back by Monday. Results of the election will be announced at HEA's annual membership meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is at Soldotna High School. Registration for voting runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Chris Eshleman can be reached at chris.eshleman@homernews.com.
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