Turnaround towns: Creating opportunities in uncertain times

In recent decades, the climate crisis has introduced considerable uncertainty into the lives of the four million people who call the Arctic home. Rising sea levels, changing temperature and precipitation patterns, increasingly severe weather events, and the loss of fish stocks, birds and marine mammals are all affecting communities in this region.

Some Arctic communities are trying to address these issues by working toward a greener future. They are demonstrating how reducing their dependence on costly and contaminating non-renewables can not only be economically feasible, but beneficial. We look at three towns that are finding innovative ways to take their future into their own hands: Longyearbyen in Svalbard; Berlevåg in Norway; and Old Crow in Yukon, Canada.

There is no question that Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town, is a community on the brink of multiple crises. Its colourful houses look postcard-perfect, but beneath the picturesque surface, Longyearbyen is struggling. Situated on the Svalbard archipelago halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, this town of about 2,500 people is facing dramatic changes due to the climate crisis.

Since 1971, temperatures on the island of Svalbard have risen five times faster than the global average and are now up by 4°C. In winter, Longyearbyen now deals with the threat of avalanches from the slopes above the town, and as permafrost thaws, its buildings and houses, built on wooden piles, could begin to sink.

But Longyearbyen isn’t waving the white flag yet. It’s fighting back.

Paving the way to zero emissions

Longyearbyen has hatched a plan to be part of the solution to the climate crisis by transforming itself into a zero-emissions town. Right now, it depends on coal supplied by Norway’s last operating coal power plant as well as diesel. But it is working to wean itself and the region off of coal, which contributes to the very climate crisis that threatens the town’s survival.

In January 2022, Longyearbyen announced that it had bought a giant battery—one of the largest in Scandinavia. Representing the first step in the town’s ambitious plan, the battery will provide a less costly, more secure power supply while also reducing emissions.

Putting an end to the dependence on coal

Construction of the battery system is slated to begin this summer, and the battery is expected to be fully operational some time in 2023. The system will be made up of six containers that provide six megawatts of energy. It will be located next to the town’s coal-fired power station. With enough storage capacity to supply the whole town with power for more than an hour, it will provide reserve capacity to overcome power fluctuations as well as the ability to restore power after a shutdown or system collapse.

The installation is just the first phase in the town’s plan to shutter its coal power plant permanently by fall 2023. When the plant closes for good, the battery system will provide voltage and frequency control to integrate diesel generators as well as growing capacity for renewable energy sources. By transitioning from coal to diesel, the town will cut its CO2 emissions in half and take the first important step in its plan to cut emissions completely.

But Longyearbyen’s move to diesel is only a temporary one. In the long run, the local council’s goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 100 per cent. In November 2021, it approved a plan to implement an all-renewable energy supply by 2030.

“This will reduce CO2 emissions by 43,000 tons per year,” a press release from Longyearbyen’s Community Council stated. “At the same time, Longyearbyen is preparing for future climate change by building landslide/avalanche protection… [W]ork on climate adaptation and the transition to green energy is in focus and will be particularly important for Longyearbyen in the future.”

Unfortunately, Longyearbyen has no control over the greenhouse gas emissions generated elsewhere in the world that are contributing to its existential crisis. But by taking action to reduce its own emissions, its residents are doing their part—and may inspire other Arctic communities to do the same.

You can’t get much further north in Norway than Berlevåg. Located far above the Arctic Circle, the municipality is almost 900 kilometres from the nearest city. And just like other towns across northern Norway, this traditional fishing village has struggled in recent years.

In the 1980s, it began to suffer a steady population decline. In 1976, there were 1,810 people who called Berlevåg home, but today it has a population of just over 900. Many of residents still fish for a living, as their ancestors did for hundreds of years. But the dwindling population has meant lost economic opportunities and an uncertain future. Facing the prospect of becoming a “commuter society,” the town decided it was time to give people a reason to stay in place.

Innovating to create a more sustainable future

Over the past few years, the town has started a green shift that is not only bringing new economic life to the town, but promises to do the world a favour by decarbonizing Arctic shipping and off-grid power plants. Two combined innovative solutions are making Berlevåg an Arctic centre for emission-free industrial development: the construction of a wind farm and the introduction of green industry. Not only are these initiatives helping the community to forge a path forward that is greener, but they are also creating jobs that will be needed for years to come. The hope is that this will motivate people to stay—and even attract new residents.

Winds on the nearby Varanger Peninsula blow at an average speed of 9.5 metres per second all year long, a powerful speed. The Raggovidda Wind power plant was built in 2014 to tap into that power. It now produces close to 200 gigawatt hours of energy—twice as much as the average wind park—and the plan is to double it.

The town has also been working since 2017 to convert some of the energy from Raggovidda into green hydrogen and ammonia at a new production plant. The new facility, known as Berlevåg Industrial park, is being built with support from the EU and national and international partners. Once the facility reaches full-scale production in 2024, it will decrease carbon dioxide emissions by around 200,000 tons per year.

“As green hydrogen and ammonia become more viable, that amount will increase,” explains town administrator Jørgen Holten Jørgensen. “We expect it to have a long-term positive impact on the climate.”

Providing benefits beyond Berlevåg

Not only are these projects good news for Berlevåg and the global environment, but they could benefit other Arctic communities. For instance, across the ocean directly north of Berlevåg sits Svalbard, the world’s northernmost settlement. Right now, it depends primarily on coal and diesel for energy. But in the future, Berlevåg Industrial park has the potential to develop into a hub for renewable energy that could not only supply clean energy to Svalbard, but provide zero-emission fuel to ships operating in northern waters for years to come: a win for everyone.

“Ultimately, I hope we will see a more circular and connected economy as the projects bring in new businesses, households and suppliers,” says Holten Jørgensen. “I would say the overall outlook is positive—not only for Berlevåg itself, but for Europe.”

The community of Old Crow in the Canadian territory of the Yukon may have a population of less than 250 people, but it has lofty ambitions when it comes to combatting climate change. Home of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, it is the only community in the territory located north of the Arctic Circle, and can only be reached by air. Like many other remote and northern communities, Old Crow has had to rely on diesel fuel to meet its energy needs—until now.

Old Crow is now tapping into the power of the sun in an effort to transition toward clean, renewable energy. The first rows of solar panels went up in April 2021 as part of the Sree Vyàa solar project. By August of that year, the solar array’s batteries were storing enough power for the community to turn off its diesel generators. Now the project is meeting almost a quarter of the community’s electrical needs.

Tapping into the power of the sun

Old Crow’s solar project is the only one of its kind in the territory. When it was being designed, software analysis was conducted to determine the ideal number, size, location and orientation of more than 2,100 single-sided, mono-crystalline panels to make optimal use of the long daylight hours.

The project also includes a 616-kilowatt battery energy storage system and a micro-grid controller that will curtail the community’s use of diesel generators by 2,200 hours, or almost 190,000 litres per year. The project is expected to reduce Old Crow’s diesel use by 4.7 million litres over its lifetime.

As part of the project, the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation entered into an electricity purchase agreement with ATCO Electric Yukon, a private electrical utility in the territory. Through this 25-year agreement, ATCO will purchase the solar electricity generated from this project, but residents will be able to buy energy directly from the First Nation. The project is expected to generate nearly $400,000 a year—revenue that will be reinvested into the community.

A model for northern communities

The Sree Vyàa solar project was a completely community-driven initiative. In fact, the town’s desire to explore renewable energy options actually led Yukon to enact new legislation to support green energy initiatives like Old Crow’s.

In 2018, the Yukon government created an Independent Power Producer policy that would allow entrepreneurs, communities and First Nations governments to build renewable energy projects and sell the electricity they generated. Before this policy, residents and businesses could only feed small amounts of self-generated power into the electric grid to reduce their costs.

As the first community to embark on an Independent Power Producer venture in the Yukon, Old Crow is modelling the transition to green energy for other communities in the territory and across the North.