Located at 69° north on the shores of Stanners Harbour on the Arctic Ocean, Taloyoak is the most northern community of the Canadian mainland. Taloyoak has a population of approximately 800 people. The term “Taloyoak” means “large caribou blind”.

Project Scope:

• 8.4 kW Solar PV on 5 active dual-axis trackers
• 3 Kw Wind generator
• 150 kWh sealed battery bank
• 24 kW of inverter capacity (4 x XW6048)
• 40 kW diesel generator
• Remote monitoring and control

EA has been involved in this project for several years through the tendering process. Spring of 2010 EA was was awarded the contract for the renewable energy system. The design process was challenging due to the engineering firms unfamiliarity with renewable energy systems. Members of the design team were in many different time zones and backgrounds so was a very educational process.

June 2010 EA prepared the solar and wind components for shipping. Each component was individually tested before shipping. Concurrently to this, the 40' skid-mounted building that housed the water treatment plant, generator, batteries, inverter and control system was being fabricated in Vancouver.

The system was shipped to the Arctic by a combination of truck, rail, and ocean-going barge.

Unfortunately due to late delivery of one container, the on-site installation was unable to be completed in 2010. Taloyoak has a short 2-month installation window. We are scheduled for July 2010 to install the solar and wind components. The system is remotely monitored through the winter, the generator will run as needed to keep th furnace on to prevent freezing.

Taloyoak - Stories of Thunder and Stone

Project Partners: