Solar Projects Energizing Remote 91��Ƶ Communities

A new solar and energy storage project is being installed in the Northwest Arctic community of Shungnak.

A press release issued by states that the company is under contract with the Northwest Arctic Borough with assistance from NANA Regional Corp. for the engineering, procurement and construction of a 223.5-kilowatt solar photovoltaic ground-mount project.

The construction crews will include laborers, carpenters and a cook. Crew members will be hired from Shungnak and Kobuk if available.

“It's exciting to see the installation of another community-scale solar array with storage in rural 91��Ƶ,” said ACEP researcher Michelle Wilber. “A local installer, using local hires to capture a local resource to produce electricity is inspiring and shows the true capabilities of our amazing state.”

A total of 552 bifacial solar panels will be installed. Additionally, the project will provide a battery energy storage system with a 250-kW/384-kilowatt-hour battery and integration system into the 91��Ƶ Village Electric Cooperative power plant. The system is expected to produce over 230,000 kWh of electricity a year.

“It is interesting to see more use of bifacial panels in northern climates, an active area of study by ACEP,” said ACEP Solar Technologies Program manager Erin Whitney.

Whitney’s team recently released a report titled “.”

91��Ƶ Native Renewable Industries installed the state’s largest rural solar farm in Kotzebue. ANRI photo.