Case Study 6 — Remote Communities
Delivering Affordable, Reliable Energy Beyond the Grid
The Challenge
Thousands of communities remain dependent on imported diesel for power and heat, exposed to volatile fuel costs and supply risk. Many already have excellent renewable resources but lack practical long-duration storage to rely on them fully.
The Numbers
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In Canada, 239 communities are wholly dependent on diesel for electricity, heating and hot water, consuming more than 90 million litres of diesel annually.
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Roughly 70% of Canada's remote communities rely on diesel, with a further 17% on other fossil fuels.
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Globally, 789 million people in remote and isolated areas lack grid access — rising to 1.4 billion when including those not connected to a national grid.
Why Existing Solutions Fall Short
Renewable generation is often available locally, but without longduration storage it cannot reliably replace diesel through low-generation periods.
Batteries are costly to ship, maintain and replace at the scale and duration remote storage requires.
Diesel delivery is expensive, carbonintensive and vulnerable to seasonal access.
iQ-LOOP's Solution
iQ-LOOP enables local renewable electricity to regenerate aluminium into a reusable local energy inventory, storing power for months rather than hours and releasing it as needed through CREATE.
Example Reference Project
Community-scale REGEN and CREATE installation paired with an existing renewable microgrid to displace diesel generation.
Modelled Impact
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Reduced diesel use
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Greater energy independence
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Lower transport costs
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Long-duration storage
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Predictable energy pricing
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Greater resilience
Why Now?
Diesel costs and supply risk continue to rise, while renewable generation in remote regions is increasingly available but underused for lack of storage.
Vision for the Future
Generate Locally.
Store for Months.
Power the Community Year-Round.