ARENA Programme in Iceland 2022
GRÓ GTP organized and hosted a week-long study visit for the participants of the 2022 ARENA Program, during October 22-29. ARENA stands for the Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy.
The 2022 ARENA Program is a project endorsed by the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group, focusing on building human and organizational capacity to enhance the reliability, affordability and sustainability of the energy systems serving the communities of the Northern hemisphere. It is designed for current and emerging leaders involved in community-scale renewable energy projects or initiatives. The curriculum is designed for a non-technical audience with a focus on project management, networking, and knowledge sharing to catalyze power systems integration across small communities in the north.
The programme is organized by the United States - Department of State through the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, Canada - Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada through Polar Knowledge Canada, and Iceland - Ministry for Foreign Affairs through GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme.
The programme consists of project work carried out under the supervision of expert mentors, as well as short courses / study visits in three locations:
- Fairbanks and Kotzebue, Alaska, USA, July 17-23, 2022: Focus on energy system integration, northern energy project management, high penetration variable renewable resources, wind energy, solar, energy storage, utility governance, industry partnerships and more.
- Reykjavík and South-West Iceland, October 22-29, 2022: Focus on value-added and cascading uses of available energy resources, with a combination of lectures and visits to various energy and business sites in Iceland.
- Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, January 15-21, 2023.
The Iceland study visit consisted of lectures on various aspects of geothermal exploration and utilization, as well as the development of small-scale hydro power plants. The lectures were complemented by visits to Icelandic geothermal utilization sites. Twelve participants from Canada, Finland, Greenland, and the United States participated, in addition to co-organizers from Alaska and Canada.
