An Arctic First Nation switches off its diesel generators for summer
The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Old Crow, north of the Arctic Circle, built a solar array that lets the fly-in community run without diesel on sunny summer days.
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The small thing
Young community leaders in Old Crow pursued the idea of a community solar array for years before it reached a signed agreement, according to the then chief.
The problem
Old Crow is Yukon's only fly-in community and relied entirely on diesel generators for electricity, some dating from the 1970s. Fuel had to be flown or trucked in, and the community is already seeing climate impacts such as thawing permafrost and low river levels.
Why the Vuntut Gwitchin started
The First Nation said it wanted to cut emissions in a community sensitive to warming, gain energy security and create economic opportunity (CBC). Chief Bruce Charlie credited young leaders with the vision in 2018.
What they did
The First Nation proposed a solar array with batteries near the airport, took it through territorial environmental assessment, and in 2018 signed a 25-year agreement for the utility, ATCO Electric Yukon, to buy its electricity. At elders' request, rows of berry bushes on the site were kept and panels placed around them.
The array was installed from 2019 and completed in 2021 with 2,160 panels and battery storage, on adjustable footings designed to cope with permafrost movement. Revenue from selling power is intended to help fund further renewable projects.
What changed
According to APTN News and the Government of Canada, the 940 kW array is expected to displace about 189,000 litres of diesel and about 680 tonnes of CO2 a year, roughly a quarter of the community's annual diesel use. CBC reported the generators falling silent when the array was switched on; Chief Tizya-Tramm told APTN you could now hear a raven calling from across town. These are projected figures; no independent measurement of savings was found.
What they learned
Community members linked the project to self-sufficiency, with one heritage interpreter telling CBC the community was becoming more self-sufficient like its ancestors. Leaders also stressed that winter darkness means diesel is still needed for part of the year.
“Our young leaders, you know, they've had this vision for years now,”Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Old Crow, as quoted by Radio Canada International / CBC News
Copy this idea
Practical guidance written by our editors from the sources below. Adapt it to your place, and check local rules and safety first.
- Problem addressed
- Remote community dependent on diesel or other imported fuel for power.
- What to do
- Develop a community-owned solar project with storage and an agreement to sell power to the local grid operator.
- Materials and resources
- Feasibility study, solar panels, inverters, batteries, footings suited to local ground conditions.
- Approximate cost
- High
- Skills
- Project management, engineering advice, grant writing, negotiation with utilities and regulators.
- Time
- Several years from idea to switch-on.
- People needed
- Community leadership, youth and elders, plus technical partners.
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Risks and limitations
- Funding gaps, regulatory delays, ground movement, limited winter output.
- How to adapt it
- Start with a feasibility study and community consultation; keep elders' land-use priorities in the design.
- Lessons learned
- Persistence over years and a formal power purchase agreement made the project viable.
Why it matters
One small solar farm will not decarbonise the North. But Old Crow shows that a remote Indigenous community can own a renewable energy project, cut its dependence on flown-in fuel and set terms that suit its land and people.
Policy connection
International commitments this kind of action contributes to. Listing a framework does not mean the person or group was working towards it.
- SDG 7.1 and 7.2: Universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy; increase the share of renewable energy.
What didn't work
Funding and a power purchase agreement both had to be secured after the first proposal (CBC). The COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction and the battery delivery by air (CBC, 2020). Permafrost heaving required adjustable footings, and the array cannot meet winter demand, so diesel generators still run in the darker months (APTN).
Editor's note
The solar array was completed in August 2021 under a 25-year power purchase agreement. No 2024–2026 news reporting a change was found. Dana Tizya-Tramm is quoted as chief in 2020–2022 sources; check current leadership before naming him as chief.
Sources: how do we know?
Evidence level: Documented. Supported by reliable published sources such as UN agencies, award bodies and reputable journalism. Not yet independently re-verified by our editors. What the person says and what independent sources establish are attributed separately in the text.
- reputable journalism
A 'large step forward': Arctic First Nation goes solar — Sara Connors, APTN News, 2 September 2021Supports: Completion Aug 2021; 2,160 panels; 189,000 L diesel and 680 t CO2e a year; 24% cut; winter limits; climate impacts; raven quote. - reputable journalism
Indigenous community in Northern Canada to offset diesel with solar panels — Meagan Deuling, Radio Canada International / CBC News, 25 June 2018Supports: 25-year agreement with ATCO; only fly-in community in Yukon; young leaders' vision; berry bushes kept at elders' request; Chief Charlie quote. - reputable journalism
Old Crow looks to solar power to cut diesel use — CBC News, 2016Supports: Original proposal to YESAB; reasons (emissions, energy security, economy); funding and agreement still needed. - reputable journalism
Old Crow waiting to flip the switch on new solar array — Mike Rudyk, CBC News, 20 July 2020Supports: Pandemic delays; battery delivery by aircraft; permafrost heaving and adjustable footings. - government
Arctic solar farm brings light to clean energy challenge — Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 2022Supports: 940 kW array with 616 kWh storage; $7.89 million federal contribution; 680 t CO2 a year expected. - reputable journalism
Yukon Vuntut Gwitchin solar farm (CBC North report on switch-on) — CBC News, 2021Supports: Generators from the 1970s; ~25% diesel cut; ability to sell banked power to fund further renewables; self-sufficiency quote.
