Power, Jobs and Resilience: How Galena’s Community Led the Solar Shift

Target 7.2 – Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

Galena is a small village on the Yukon River in interior Alaska. It has just 400 residents, bitterly cold winters, and some of the highest energy costs in the United States. For years, Galena ran entirely on diesel, flown in by plane or barged upriver in warmer months. The system was costly, fragile, and polluting.

When a power outage in 2015 caused frozen pipes in the middle of winter, local resident Eric Huntington had had enough. His family was spending over $7,000 a year on diesel just to heat and power their modest home. The situation wasn’t sustainable, financially or physically.

Eric wasn’t the only one thinking about change. Tim Kalke, general manager of a local nonprofit called SEGA (Sustainable Energy for Galena, Alaska), had been looking for alternatives. SEGA had already managed the village’s biomass plant, which was heating the Galena Interior Learning Academy with local wood chips since 2016. But Kalke and Huntington knew that heating was only one piece of the puzzle. The community still needed a long-term source of affordable electricity.

That’s when the idea of building a solar microgrid took shape.

Between 2020 and 2025, SEGA worked with tribal, city and school leaders to fund, design and build a 1.5 megawatt solar array. The project included battery storage, so energy could be used during dark winter months. The system was tied into the existing power grid, providing backup to diesel but significantly reducing dependence on it.

Local students and residents were trained to build and maintain the new system. One of them, 19-year-old Aaren Sommer, learned to install panels and now works full time in renewable energy. The project became not just about energy, but about local employment, pride, and resilience.

What Changed

Once completed, the system cut diesel use by over 100,000 gallons per year. That meant lower energy bills for households, fewer flight deliveries, and a dramatic drop in carbon emissions. Galena became one of the few Alaskan villages with an operational solar microgrid powering most of its homes and public buildings.

Outages became rare. The system held up during storms. The biomass plant continued to provide heating, and the solar array filled the gap for lighting, refrigeration, communications and essential services. With fewer diesel deliveries needed, the town reduced the risk of fuel shortages and avoided spills that had plagued the region in the past.

The benefits didn’t stop there. Local schools incorporated solar and energy training into their science and vocational classes. Students learned how energy works in real life, not just in theory. Some graduates began exploring careers in sustainable infrastructure, a first for the area.

Meanwhile, the money saved from lower fuel costs stayed in the community. The village invested in school upgrades, road maintenance, and improved housing insulation. The project showed what can happen when a community takes control of its own energy future.

This is what SDG 7.2 looks like on the ground. It’s not just about technology, it’s about people. Galena didn’t wait for a federal plan. It built its own system, on its own terms, with its own people. The energy was local, the jobs were local, and the benefits stayed in the region.

And while the climate challenges facing Alaska remain urgent, Galena proved that even small, isolated communities can lead the way, not just in adaptation, but in innovation.

Your Voice. Your Target. Your Legacy.

If your community wants to take control of its energy future, start with what you already have. Map your needs. Bring people together. Blend solar, biomass, wind or hydro. Train locals. Build something you can maintain. Then, show what energy independence really means.

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