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North America / Island & remote community

Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations6
System facts27
Sources reviewed9
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation commissioned an off-grid solar-battery-diesel system for its community complex and roundhouse on July 28, 2017. JAZZ Solar's current project portfolio reports 97 kW of PV and 250 kWh of battery storage, with solar also diverted to domestic-hot-water preheating. The Nation reported in early 2018 that the system had nearly eliminated diesel use since launch, except for brief operation after four to six sunless days; that is strong early performance evidence, but not an audited present-day energy mix.

Research status
Commissioned in 2017 and still presented in JAZZ Solar's current portfolio as an off-grid project and long-term partnership. The latest detailed first-party operating account located is from February 2018. No recent public record provides battery state of health, annual solar fraction, diesel runtime, or confirms whether the original 2017 storage bank remains unchanged in 2026.
Historical classification
Community
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
48.81541, -90.49816
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation?

6 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

Government of Canada

Capital-funding partner through public infrastructure funding [6]

Organization

Government of Ontario

Capital-funding partner through public infrastructure funding [6]

Organization

Independent Electricity System Operator

Funded a later Lac des Mille Lacs micro-utility operating-system initiative; this is a follow-on program, not proof of changes to the 2017 hardware [8]

Organization

JAZZ Solar Solutions

System designer and installer, with long-term maintenance and remote monitoring responsibilities [4][7]

Organization

JAZZ Solar Solutions Inc.

System installer, maintainer, and remote monitoring provider [3]

Organization

Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation

Community owner, project sponsor, host, and operator counterpart [5][6][7]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

Inverter capacity
9 × 8 kW (72 kW total) [3]
Battery bank
6,000 Ah; reported mass 7,801 kg [3]
Hot-water diversion load
22 kW [3]
Photovoltaic capacity
JAZZ Solar's current portfolio lists 97 kW; the Nation's February 2018 communiqué calls it 93 kW. The difference may reflect design/as-built scope or rounding and should be retained rather than silently reconciled [4][5]
Battery storage
250 kWh; the research case describes a 6,000 Ah bank weighing approximately 7,801 kg, but does not provide enough voltage and usable-capacity detail to independently recompute the current portfolio rating [4][7]
Inverters
Nine 8 kW inverter units, 72 kW aggregate AC rating [7]
Domestic-hot-water diversion
22 kW controllable solar-diversion/preheat load [4][7]
Balance of system
Approximately 5,943 m of wire and 25,038 kg of array ballast were documented for the installation [7]
Commissioning date
July 28, 2017 [5][7]
Backup generation
Diesel generation retained for extended low-solar periods; capacity, manufacturer, model, and fuel-tank size were not disclosed in the cited sources [5][7]
Public infrastructure funding
C$531,234 announced across federal, provincial, and First Nation contributions for the infrastructure project [6]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Solar charge controller

MidNite Solar — Classic 200

Charge controllers used with the community PV and large battery bank. [3]

02

Inverters

Model not publicly disclosed

Nine 8 kW inverters; the reviewed source does not identify the inverter model. [3]

03

Remote monitoring

JAZZ Solar Solutions Inc.

Online control and monitoring from the integrator's Ottawa office. [3]

04

Photovoltaic array

Model not publicly disclosed

Approximately 93–97 kW of ground- or building-associated solar generation serving the off-grid community complex; module manufacturer and model are not disclosed in the cited sources [4][5][7]

05

Battery bank

Model not publicly disclosed

250 kWh nominal portfolio rating, described in the research case as a 6,000 Ah, 7,801 kg bank; chemistry, cell maker, and usable-energy window are not publicly identified [4][7]

06

Inverters

Model not publicly disclosed

Nine 8 kW inverter units; manufacturer and model are not identified in the cited research case [7]

07

Charge controllers

MidNite Solar — Classic 200

Solar charge controllers used to regulate PV charging of the battery bank [7]

08

Thermal diversion

Model not publicly disclosed

A 22 kW domestic-hot-water preheat diversion system captures otherwise curtailed solar energy [4][7]

09

Backup generator

Model not publicly disclosed

Existing diesel generator retained for rare extended low-solar intervals; nameplate and supplier are not disclosed [5][7]

10

Monitoring

JAZZ Solar Solutions

Remote monitoring and long-term support from JAZZ's Ottawa operations [7]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Serving scope

    The documented system serves the First Nation's community complex and roundhouse. Available sources do not establish that every residence is electrically connected to this microgrid. [4][7]

  • Early operating result

    The Nation reported that the complex remained off diesel from late July 2017 into early 2018 except for a couple of short periods following four to six consecutive days without adequate sun. [5]

  • Seasonality

    The case study reports approximately three months of exclusively solar-battery operation after commissioning before seasonal solar conditions required backup generation. [7]

  • Dispatch logic

    PV first supplies facility loads and charges storage; surplus energy can be diverted to water heating, while diesel remains the firm backup for prolonged low-insolation events. [4][5][7]

  • Energy mix

    Early community testimony supports a very high solar share and near-elimination of diesel for the first months, but no audited annual percentage or recent fuel log is public. That 2017–2018 result should not be presented as a verified 2026 energy mix. [5][7]

  • Follow-on activity

    IESO's 2023 Indigenous Energy Support Program lists funding for development of a micro-utility operating system by Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. It indicates continued energy-capacity building but does not specify replacement or expansion of the original PV-battery equipment. [8]

Provenance

9 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2021-02-26

  2. [2]
    Source

    lacdesmillelacsfirstnation.ca · Archived source · captured 2021-02-26

  3. [3]
  4. [4]
  5. [5]
    Communiqué – February 6, 2018

    Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation · Primary source

  6. [6]
    LDMLFN successful in securing $531,234 in infrastructure funding

    Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation · Primary source

  7. [7]
  8. [8]
    Indigenous Energy Support Program Funding Recipients

    Independent Electricity System Operator · Primary source

  9. [9]
    Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation (archived legacy record)

    Microgrid Projects / Internet Archive · Archived source

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