The BBC recently paid a visit to a handful of Norwegian communities to see how they're making the switch to renewable energy.
The project manager for Svalbard Energi, Torbjørn Grøtte, explained why Arctic towns are still using dirty energy to keep their grid up and running.
"The wind doesn't blow all the time," said Grøtte. "The sun is gone for half the year. We need something in the background that can secure supply even in the darkest and coldest winter nights."
The hope is that diesel power is only a short-lived stepping stone to transitioning away from coal power. Green ammonia, methanol, geothermal, wind, and solar are all candidates for the next grid upgrade.
While northern communities use a lot more power to keep warm, they're also facing some of the most dramatic effects of the changing climate. As ice pack disappears more quickly, more heat is trapped by liquid water instead of being reflected. This trapped heat, in turn, speeds up the melting and releases methane that has otherwise been sequestered in the permafrost. Combined with rising sea levels, Arctic coastlines are facing particularly tough challenges.
Arctic communities may be plunged into darkness for half the year, but during the spring and summer, there's an excess of sunlight. Solar energy collection is actually extra-productive during these times because light is bouncing off snow and into the panels. Arthur Garreau of the University of Svalbard is researching the performance of solar in these peak months using a device they've nicknamed R2-D2.
"We are trying to study the potential of solar in the Arctic and document how much solar energy we can produce in order to perform an energy transition," he said.
One Svalbard store is already using solar to save money on utility bills. If you're keen to save a few bucks yourself, try out this solar savings calculator. Svalbard Energi is using lithium-ion energy storage to stabilize the energy network and decrease dependence on diesel power. That storage will be vital when new sources come online. A local coal mining company, Store Norske, has deployed large-scale solar as a test and hopes to go even bigger.
"Solar could be a very good thing for the summer part of the year, but then you would need something else for the rest of the year. It's about using a hybrid system combining different energy technologies," said project manager Mons Ole Sellevold.
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