The arctic off-grid facility ‘Isfjord Radio’ situated at 78° North in Svalbard, Norway has been working as an important telecommunication hub for Svalbard and its surroundings since 1933, and still is. In addition to its critical telecommunication services, it today also functions as a hotel for tourists.

Isfjord Radio has traditionally been running solely on diesel as energy source, both for its heat and electricity needs. The direct costs and CO2 emissions related to the high diesel consumption, and the operational costs related to the diesel generators was reaching unacceptable levels for the owner, Store Norske. Since 2020 Isfjord Radio has therefor been subjected to an energy transition project, whereas Store Norske is gradually changing Isfjord Radio’s energy system from a diesel based system to become a hybrid energy system including renewable energy production, energy storage and a smart control system for better utilisation of the diesel generators. By 2024 the off-grid hybrid energy system consists of both ground and roof mounted PV facilities, a battery pack, a thermal storage and diesel generators. The results so far show a 60 % reduction in diesel consumption and CO2 emissions, and a reduction in operation hours on the diesel engines of 82 %.