Many countries are looking to upgrade and extend their national electricity grids to meet their energy transition needs. This is costly in terms of money, metals and environmental impact. But there are better ways, using localized mini-grids powered by renewables. Scotland’s Isle of Eigg community, made up of 45 households, chose a hybrid renewable (hydro, wind and solar) solution to gain energy independence from the mainland and reduce its strong reliance on diesel fuel. Eigg Electric is a micro-utility that’s fully community owned and operates as a business enterprise.
Canada’s Old Crow First Nations Vantut-Gwich’in community is located in the Arctic Circle, 350 kilometres from the national grid. To reduce their reliance on polluting, expensive and not always available diesel, they installed a solar-PV micro-grid system. Yukon government laws and policies, and an agreement with the utility, ensure that the community benefits from the project.
