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For the first time since the 1970s, the old crow village in the Canadian Arctic fell into silence for the first time in August.

For generations, the Vuntut Gwitchin Aboriginal community in the Yukon Territory, about 100 kilometers east of the Alaska border, has been subject to continuous drone interference from diesel generators to meet its electricity needs.

But Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm said in an official side event at COP26 on Thursday that the flying community, 120 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, was quiet for the first time in decades as the country puts solar microgrids online.

Tizya-Tramm said in a video speech to the UN group discussing Indigenous Renewable Microgrids (REM): “We can now enjoy silence and hear the animals and crows in our village for the first time in 50 years.” Glasgow Climate Conference.

Sponsored by the Canadian non-profit organization Indigenous Clean Energy (ICE), the panel members shared how the renewable microgrid developed and operated by indigenous countries reflects the traditional world view and promotes sustainable economic development and indigenous sovereignty while solving the climate crisis.

Tizya-Tramm said that Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation boldly undertook one of the largest solar panel projects in northern Canada. This is an important step in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and the community's goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The 2,160 battery panels of the project maximize the role of solar power generation during the long day of the Arctic summer sun. The array is connected to a 616 kW battery energy storage system and a microgrid controller, reducing the use of diesel generators by 2,000 hours, or 189,000 liters of diesel per year.

REM is expected to reduce 680 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and meet a quarter of the community's energy needs.

Canada’s Arctic regions and indigenous peoples are being most severely affected by climate change-rising temperatures are three times the global average.

Tizya-Tramm said that the community-led solar project marked the emergence of a new relationship between indigenous peoples and the energy sector, and indigenous clean energy leaders established a framework for disruptive business models.

According to the 25-year power purchase agreement signed with ATCO Electric Yukon, the energy generated by the solar project will be purchased at a price similar to the cost of diesel power generation.

"Our power purchase agreement now shunts more than $410,000 per year to our community," he said, adding that the money will be used to fund other renewable energy projects.

Tizya-Tramm said that such indigenous clean energy projects give indigenous rights and community power.

"As individuals around the world, we cannot simply hand over our power to international negotiators at all costs," he said.

"We cannot give power to the CEO or the leader; we as individuals need to find out who we are."

According to Ambika Opal, Global Initiatives Manager of Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), renewable microgrids provide clean and affordable alternatives to energy-poor people.

But she said getting up and running can be challenging.

First, building trust in the community is the key to achieving recognition of any clean energy project, as is the integration of indigenous land knowledge into the development of solutions.

Opal said other key success factors include identifying community energy champions with knowledge in the field and ensuring women's participation and empowerment.

Job creation is a top priority, and grant applications that focus on community needs in terms of clean water, health, or housing are important.

She said that the cost of REM is still prohibitively high, especially for small Aboriginal communities. Another persistent difficulty is maintaining and operating the system without training community members.

Opal stated that efforts to obtain necessary information or data (such as demand forecasts) make it difficult to conduct feasibility assessments, and calls on researchers, educational institutions and policy makers to take action to help overcome obstacles.

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, acknowledged the leadership and influence of Indigenous communities in helping the country achieve its net zero goal and sustainable development goals (SDG).

He told the panel that the government is making intergenerational investments to help remote communities get rid of fossil fuels such as diesel and propane.

He said the federal government has pledged to invest 300 million U.S. dollars in five years to help remote rural and indigenous communities transition to clean energy.

Wilkinson also announced that Canada will cooperate with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to invest US$500,000 to share best practices and help remote communities switch to renewable energy globally.

“I’m certainly happy that our country’s remote communities and indigenous climate leaders will be able to share their experiences around the world and help other places build capacity to promote local ownership and help promote economic development,” he said.

Eryn Stewart, managing director of ICE, stated that her message to policymakers and governments will be the power to ensure that any REM project uses the wisdom of indigenous lands.

"You can have all the technical consultants you want, but there is really no substitute for local knowledge and community energy champions," Stewart said.

She added that every community wishing to transition to clean energy should obtain government funds for specialized positions to promote REM projects.

"Because when we talk about the Sustainable Development Goals (at COP26), we are talking about these ambitious ambitions and goals, but in the community, usually one person leads these directives and we need to support them."

Tizya-Tramm concluded by saying that Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation’s solar energy project encompasses the United Nations Paris Agreement and the hopes and dreams of its people.

He said that the world faces the existential threat of climate change, and the indigenous peoples of the world can follow the ancient principle of coexistence as an example.

No community is too remote or too small to develop clean energy solutions.

"If my small community can make such a leap, any community can do it," Tizya-Tramm said.

"It's not too late to return to our communities and empower them," he said.

"It's not too late to create bold and ambitious projects that move us forward-but we must work together. This is the message of our land, our animals, and humans."

Rochelle Baker / Local News Initiative / Canadian National Observer

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