To reduce Nunavut’s dependency on diesel fuel, researchers are trying to use the territory’s gusty weather to develop a wind turbine specifically to generate power for Arctic buildings. “I think it is a really viable [energy] option,” said Jill Hass, an engineer and clean energy manager with Polar Knowledge Canada, the federal agency that advances polar science and technology.

Hass’s team and two other groups are working out of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay on a 15-metre wind turbine designed to withstand the Arctic’s harsh climate.

Beyond testing its feasibility for Arctic use, she said their mandate includes sharing what they learn with other communities in Nunavut so the overall dependence on diesel can be reduced.

Nunavut’s electricity system is powered by 25 community generating stations, all of which run on diesel fuel, according to Qulliq Energy Corp.’s website.

All that fuel has to be shipped to the communities where it is stored for use throughout the year. In 2018, 55 million litres of diesel fuel was purchased, the website said.