Case Studies

Shungnak, Alaska Off-grid Microgrid

2 MIN READ

Located within the Arctic Circle in remote Alaska, the village of Shungnak now benefits from a hybrid microgrid system that significantly offsets costly diesel usage—bringing energy resilience, cost savings, and environmental benefits to the community.

Shungnak is home to approximately 300 Iñupiat residents and is accessible only by air year-round or by barge during the summer months. This extreme remoteness makes transporting goods—including food,

school supplies, and especially diesel fuel for power generation—extraordinarily expensive. As recently as 2019, residents paid up to $8.50 per gallon for fuel.

To address this, the community implemented a hybrid solar powered microgrid that combines solar PV, battery storage, and diesel generation. This community microgrid reduces reliance on fossil fuels, lowering both the cost of electricity and the community's carbon footprint. It is expected to displace more than 25,000 gallons of diesel in its first year of operation alone.

Generac was brought into the project through a partnership with Launch Alaska—a nonprofit working to accelerate the state’s clean energy economy. Launch Alaska helps innovative companies like Generac navigate the unique logistical and regulatory challenges of deploying microgrid technology in Alaska's most remote communities.

At the heart of the project is Generac’s ARC microgrid control system, which autonomously manages solar, storage, and generator assets. The ARC controller not only offsets diesel usage but also allows the system to run on 100% microgrid energy when conditions are favorable. It coordinates both battery and generator assets in grid-forming mode, ensuring spinning reserve capacity is always available.

In the event of an unexpected generator failure, ARC’s microgrid software enables a seamless transition to battery power—delivering uninterrupted electricity to Shungnak and its neighboring village, Kobuk, which is connected via a shared tie line.

This advanced microgrid showcases how distributed energy resources, when intelligently coordinated, can deliver affordable, reliable, and clean power to some of the most isolated communities in North America.

Plane being loaded in AK