ARENA 2022-23 Cohort Convenes in Whitehorse for Third and Final Onsite

Ten individuals from Alaska, Canada and Greenland will convene in Whitehorse, Canada, next week for the third and final on-site of the Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy (ARENA) program. During their time in the Yukon, the group will hear from local tribal and industry leaders on community energy planning and best practices for community-based renewable energy development.

ARENA is a unique circumpolar knowledge sharing program about isolated power systems integration held in partnership with Canada, Gwich’in Council International, the United States and Iceland. ARENA is designed specifically for community energy champions living and working in remote circumpolar Arctic communities.

The cohort will spend a day and night in the community of Old Crow where they'll meet with local Vuntut Gwich'in leadership to learn about the importance of the local solar energy project. After returning to Whitehorse, the cohort will take a day trip to Teslin – a Tlingit community with a biomass program that is widely credited with being visionary in its pursuit and early adoption of sustainable energy in Canada.

Also on the agenda are dog-sledding and snowmachining excursions, as well as visits to Yukon Energy – the main generator and transmitter of electricity for the territory – the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, and the T'loo Klut Cultural Site. It is sure to be a productive week for the cohort.

For more information on ARENA, please visit https://arena.alaska.edu/. 

 

2022 ARENA participants visited the Gullfoss Falls during the Iceland On-site. Photo by Amanda Byrd.