Solar and wind prove vital energy sources but face challenges with implementation
Workers from Indigenous-owned W Dusk Energy Group install solar panels in the remote community of West Moberly First Nations, B.C., blackouts are common and hydro bills are higher than average, says Chief Roland Willson. The energy challenges are compounded by a lack of natural-gas access for the village of 350 people – 80 of whom live on reserve.
“We started looking at ground-mounted solar arrays and talking to the community about whether or not we could do this, and hopefully bring down the cost of hydro bills,” Chief Willson says. There was also a desire to make a statement about energy sovereignty. He says he’s frequently “shocked” by how many remote communities experience rolling blackouts. “This is just the norm for them… they take having this many power outages as just an inconvenience,” he says. “But it’s very obviously unacceptable.”from the Canada Energy Regulator , there are 178 remote Indigenous and northern communities in Canada not connected to the North American electricity grid or natural gas infrastructure. Very few have all-year road access and more than half are fly-in only.
The fly-in community of Old Crow, Yukon subsisted on quarterly diesel deliveries that it stored in above-ground tanks until 2022, when it switched on a solar farm. The community of 221 peoplethe project, which includes 940 kilowatts of solar modules and battery storage, will reduce diesel demand by 190,000 litres annually.
But self-reliance on renewables brings challenges, Mr. Stringer says. “They don’t produce electricity 24 hours a day.” Areas north of the Arctic Circle have little to no access to sun in the winter. “That’s why to this day there’s no full remote, off-grid community that relies 100 per cent on renewable energy,” he adds.
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