The small settlement Igaliku seeks to receive renewable and sustainable energy. In order to find an alternative energy source to supply electricity to this settlement, the pilot project has been started.

Igaliku is a small settlement in Greenland with 27 inhabitants. Prior to the introduction of the hybrid power plant, the electricity supply for the settlement was provided through burning diesel oil. As this is the primary means of electricity supply in all Greenlandic settlements, the energy alternatives were needed.

So, in July 2017, a hybrid power plant has been opened in the settlement of Igaliku. It is a development project launched by “Nukissiorfiit”, Greenland’s Energy supply company, which has the vision to supply Greenland with energy without the use of fossil fuels. The pilot project, which is the first to test hybrid energy supply in Greenland, aims at finding an alternative, green energy source to supply electricity to Greenland’s settlements.

The power plant consists of 400 sun cell panels and 68 small wind turbines as well as a battery to store excess energy. The goal is that the plant will provide the settlement with green energy in the summer months, but the diesel power plant will provide electricity in the winter months. The pilot is used to assess if this solution can be useful elsewhere in Greenland to increase the use of green energy.

The project showed good results with the solar panels, while the wind turbines have been dismounted as they did not show the expected results.

Keywords: development project, hybrid energy supply, solar energy, wind energy, Igaliku, Greenland