Recording of Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Language: English | Duration: 11:16 .

Community-Led Renewable Energy in Remote Arctic Regions

The presentation focused on lessons learned from renewable energy projects in remote Arctic communities, particularly through the Arctic Remote Energy Network Academy and Yukon University’s Northern Energy Innovation program. It highlighted the challenges of delivering energy projects in northern Canada, including isolated microgrids, diesel dependency, extreme weather, limited transport access, complex governance structures, and the need to respect Indigenous rights and local cultures. A key message was that successful renewable energy projects depend on strong community engagement and local capacity building. Rather than bringing in external solutions, the programs work with communities to understand their needs, build trust, train local energy champions, and design projects that fit local priorities. Examples such as the Old Crow solar project showed how community preferences can directly shape project design. The presentation concluded that lessons from the Arctic could also be valuable for remote communities in other regions, including Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific.

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Speaker

Robert Cooke
Manager, Operations
Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon University
Canada

Talk of session: Off-Grid: Market Outlook and Lessons Learned

This session provides an overview of current market trends and forecasts in the off-grid sector. Industry experts will be sharing key insights from recent projects, highlighting successes, challenges and lessons learned from real-world implementation. The discussion will offer practical takeaways for stakeholders looking to better understand market dynamics and develop resilient, scalable off-grid energy solutions.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome & Introduction

Speaker

Dr. Philipp Blechinger
Head of Unit Off-Grid Systems
Reiner Lemoine Institut gGmbH

To Talk

Off-Grid Solar: Untapping Africa's Next Multi-Million Wave of Electricity Consumers

Speaker

Sohan Gwalani
Research Analyst
Wood Mackenzie
United Kingdom

To Talk

Success Factors for the Sustainable Operation of a Mini-Grid

Speaker

Xenia Rebsam
Chief of Staff
Off-Grid Europe GmbH
Germany

To Talk

Why Mesh-Grids: Lessons From Years in the Field

Speaker

Diogo Costa
Product Manager
Obton A/S
Denmark

To Talk

When Engineers Can't Travel: Solar Mini-Grids in Niger

Speaker

Valentin Laroche
Design Engineer
TTA - Trama TecoAmbiental
Spain

To Talk

Q&A Session

To Talk

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