Sonal Gupta
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s National Observer
For 55 days this summer, the small Yukon community in Beaver Creek ran entirely on solar power.
The White River First Nation’s Saa/Se Solar project began operating in April and now supplies more than half of the community’s electricity. The transition is expected to eliminate roughly 340,000 litres of diesel use each year, offsetting more diesel than any other solar facility in Canada.
Beaver Creek, home to about 100 people in Yukon’s remote southwest corner near the Alaska border, has historically relied on round-the-clock diesel power with generators that hum day and night.
“It used to be that if you didn’t hear the humming, it meant power outage,” said Alexandre Vigneault, the engineer on the project.
The 1.9-megawatt solar farm combines 3,520 solar panels with a battery storage system that can hold power for up to 12 hours, allowing Beaver Creek to run predominantly on clean solar energy even after the sun goes down or during cloudy periods.
This capacity to store energy differentiates the project from earlier northern solar efforts, which often had just enough battery to cover short cloudy spells, Vigneault said.
“In other communities, battery storage was maybe enough for an hour. Here, we can go up to 12 hours of storage,” he said. “We’ve moved from solar covering hours of demand to days and even months.”
John VanderMeer, president of the White River First Nation Development Corporation and a former council member, said the project was born of necessity.
VanderMeer said unlike many other First Nations in Yukon who receive financial resources upon signing land claim agreements, the White River First Nation did not receive a large initial payout. Instead, they started their development efforts with a modest budget of around $100,000 eight years ago.
“We put a team together, put a board in place, and kept pushing. … It’s our own little, tiny First Nation, the smallest of the Yukon and now we have guaranteed income for 30 years.”
The community operates under a 30-year power purchase agreement with ATCO Electric, a Canadian utility company. Under the deal, ATCO buys the electricity generated by the Nation and then distributes it to customers through its existing grid.
It’s also generating jobs. VanderMeer said the community now needs people to keep the snow cleared off of the panels, operate the system daily and “be the feet on the ground” for the people in Whitehorse, who dial in remotely.
“It’s creating local employment, which the other one didn’t … they would just send in a diesel tech every couple months to do a little bit of maintenance on the diesel generator, and then they’re gone,” he said.
By reducing diesel shipments, the project also lowers risks on the land. “It’s not just about energy, it’s about not transporting dangerous liquids over our traditional territory anymore — obviously, 55 per cent less of it.” he said.
A Pembina Institute report shows people in remote communities pay six to 10 times more for energy than the Canadian average.
Rosa Brown, senior analyst at the institute’s renewables in remote communities program, said Yukon’s strong Independent Power Producer (IPP) policy enables local and Indigenous communities to develop renewable projects that reduce pollution, costs and noise. She said many communities struggle to build clean energy without supportive policies.
Beaver Creek exemplifies how robust policy leads to successful projects. “Where there is strong policy, there are strong projects,” Brown said.
She said First Nation ownership is a game-changer, and “about more than just heat and electricity; it’s about self-sufficiency and control.”
Vigneault said alternatives such as wind, biomass and hydropower were previously considered but ruled out due to the local conditions in Beaver Creek. The region lacks sufficient wind resources and biomass availability is minimal, with only small sticks found nearby. Hydropower was also not a feasible option given the local geography and water resources. “Solar was the only option,” he said.
He noted that the diesel-free streak ended after 55 days due to a technical glitch that forced the plant to restart. With fall approaching and daylight hours shrinking, the community will have to wait until next summer to beat its record. During the colder, darker months, diesel will continue to serve as the primary source of electricity.
“We’re also stewards of the land,” VanderMeer said. “We want to promote the least amount of impact possible on our property or land up there.”
Sonal Gupta / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer
