Solar PV, solar thermal, and a variety of Biomass options (cord wood, wood chips, wood pellets – for heating & combined heat & power) are the most viable in Ft. Simpson, the community I live in & all of the communities in the Dehcho region that I serve through my work with the Arctic Energy Alliance.
There are 4 Solar PV installations I’ve seen around the community so far, 1 residential & 3 commercial/government. I understand there is another residential installation which I have not seen as well. In Ft. Simpson and the other Dehcho communities, there is an abundance of wood heating as well as a growing number of wood pellet stoves and more recently wood pellet boiler installations (some with the potential to convert btwn. pellets, chips, & cord wood), there are Solar Thermal installations on a couple of swimming pools that are used in the Summer only, Solar Thermal on a number of houses plus a Senior’s Lodge, a few Solar PV installations on community buildings (arena & gymnasium) that the Government of the NWT has provided funding support, plus a few Heat Recovery systems installed by the NWT Power Corp. and a commercial business operation.
Geothermal also has very good potential here in the Dehcho region (SW corner of the NWT) but given the high costs to confirm the exact point for accessing the geothermal hotspots, this option has not gone beyond an intensive feasibility process that was thwarted before it could get further along the path.
