Mobile solar power plant Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Could a new solar project help remote Arctic communities transition to green energy?

Norway has installed the world’s northernmost ground solar panels in its Svalbard archipelago, a region plunged in round-the-clock darkness all winter. The pilot project could help remote Arctic communities transition to green energy.

Where is a solar farm located in Norway?

State-owned energy company Store Norske Energi installed the solar and storage at Isfjord Radio on the island of Spitsbergen, the largest and the only permanently populated island in the archipelago, and the solar farm is expected to come online tomorrow.

Are Longyearbyen and Svalbard facing an energy transition?

Top image: Longyearbyen and Svalbard are facing an energy transition. This is the background for the cooperation agreement between UNIS, Store Norske and SINTEF. Photo: Graham Gilbert/UNIS. Longyearbyen and Svalbard are facing a huge energy transition.

Does Isfjord Radio have a solar farm?

The off-grid Isfjord Radio’s new ground-mounted solar farm joins its rooftop solar, which was installed earlier this year. The ground-mounted solar farm sits at 78° north, which makes it the world’s northernmost solar farm. Store Norske hasn’t yet provided details on the specs of the solar panels or battery storage.

Why do solar panels work in Isfjord Radio?

The solar panels also benefit from the "albedo" effect, the reflective power of snow and ice, as well as low temperatures that improve their efficiency. On the flipside, the region is plunged into total darkness from early October until mid-February, which makes it impossible for Isfjord Radio to completely give up fossil fuels.

What is Unis & Svalbard Energi doing in the Arctic?

The energy company is collaborating with the University of Svalbard (UNIS) and Svalbard Energi in the testing of hybrid renewable energy, battery storage, and diesel generator systems, with a plan to implement them in many of the 1,500 Arctic communities that are off-grid and currently use coal or diesel as an energy source.