DEVELOPING RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ARCTIC AND SUB-ARCTIC REGIONS AND COMMUNITIES

power to operate, disruptions to electric power can also cause disruptions to
heat services. Microgrids have become a common strategy for increasing grid
reliability in some more populous areas, such as the continental United States,
particularly in conjunction with critical nodes, such as individual facilities like a
hospital, or complexes such as a military base or university campus.
CURRENT EXAMPLES
| DEVELOPING RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE ARCTIC AND SUB-ARTIC
When it comes to microgrid technologies, a number of remote communities in
the Arctic have been leading the way, both within the region, and globally. The
strategies pioneered by remote communities in developing and maintaining
renewable energy powered remote microgrids, can also be applied to gridconnected
areas of the Arctic. These microgrid systems can be designed so
they feed power to the grid when service is available, but can ‘island’ a small
distribution service area, such as a local municipality, if there is a disruption in
service, so that local power supply is maintained.
One example is a remote microgrid on Kodiak Island in Alaska, which serves
14,000 local residents. The community has invested in a 9 megawatt wind
farm, a battery storage system, and a flywheel that complements an existing
hydropower project to achieve 100% renewable energy generation on a yearround
basis. 45 Smaller communities have achieved similar outcomes. For example,
four small communities in Southwestern Alaska, with an average population of
500 residents, have formed the Chaninik Wind Group, supporting each other and
experimenting with using excess wind to heat individual residences as a strategy
for turning diesel engines off when the wind is blowing. 46 In both of these cases,
the renewable energy system is capable of providing 100% of power for the local
grid, independent of diesel generation.
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