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.

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.

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.

Will Svalbard get a 6mw/7mwh power system?

The transport, industry and defense-specialised BESS provider will deliver the 6MW/7MWh system to the Longyearbyen community on the island of Svalbard for completion in late 2022. The bulk of Svalbard’s population of slightly under 3,000 people live there.

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.

What is the world's northernmost solar farm?

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. The solar and battery storage will reduce emissions at Isfjord Radio by 70%.