Solvest announced it has activated a 27 kW solar, 121 kWh battery storage system at Snowline Gold’s Forks camp, a remote gold mine encampment in Yukon, Alaska. 

The off-grid system is comprised of 64 bifacial modules on a ground mount, a lithium-ion battery bank, and a power rack organizing the off-grid equipment. The entire kit was designed to be modular and mobile so that it could be flown via helicopter to the remote mine.

The array will power the 45-person exploration camp and charge the battery bank, saving an estimated 12,527 liters of fuel savings annually, representing a 90% reduction in carbon emissions. The project means the camp will no longer rely solely on a diesel generator, which creates noise pollution and disturbs residents and wildlife.

“Remote mineral exploration camps are faced with many challenges including high fuel and transportation costs. This challenge presents an opportunity for highly economic solar-battery system deployments which also achieve significant and impactful emissions reductions. Solvest is proud to have had the opportunity to work with great partners in NNDDC and Snowline Gold to deliver this first of its kind project and we hope it becomes a blueprint for others to follow”, said Ben Power, CEO and co-founder of Solvest.

The system is designed, constructed, and maintained by Solvest, while the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation (NNDDC) owns the operational assets. The project provides direct economic benefit to Yukon First Nations.

“We see this investment as just the first of many of its kind and we are working towards building a fleet that can be deployed throughout the Traditional Territory,” said Jani Djokic, CEO NNDDC.

Solvest started operations in the Yukon region in 2015 and has become an expert in remote northern PV and energy storage. Off-grid diesel generators are a common source of power in this region, which require expensive deliveries of gas to remote locations, and contribute to noise pollution. Solvest’s mission is to reduce remote communities reliance on diesel and enable them to become more self-sufficient.