New handbook explores Arctic energy shifts
A map included in the cover of the “Routledge Handbook of Arctic Energy Transition” depicts the boundaries of the “electric North” — the remote Arctic and sub-Arctic communities and regions that have limited electric grid connections.
July 6, 2026
By Yuri Bult-Ito
A new book featuring the work of multiple ACEP researchers maps the complex landscape of energy use and security in the Arctic.
The offers ways to understand the challenges and opportunities in coming Arctic energy transitions.
The book notes that the Arctic is at a pivotal moment in its energy history. Rapid advances in technologies are driving what could become the most transformative energy shift since the Industrial Revolution, but the transition is unfolding unevenly across the region. Arctic energy security is critical, not just in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions but also from the global standpoint.
Published today, the book explores the critical role of planning, dual (civilian and
military) use, governance and regulatory environments in achieving energy security.
The book also highlights the social value of energy and examines how energy goals
can be realized in Arctic communities. It situates Arctic energy shifts within the
broader context of global energy security and sets a research agenda to support community-focused
solutions.
“[This] volume [brings] together an extraordinary team of experts who provide us with
a comprehensive understanding of the many ways energy will enable communities in the
North to thrive, while underscoring and explaining the complexities of Arctic energy
security in an inherently connected local, regional, and global context,” wrote Mike
Sfraga in his review of the book. Sfraga, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for Arctic
affairs, most recently served as interim chancellor at the ϳԹ.
“It offers a grounded, practical framework for strengthening energy security across a vast and diverse North and will be an essential resource for those working to improve the status quo,” wrote Katie Conway, the Denali Commission’s former energy program manager.
The book’s five editors include the University of Saskatchewan’s and , the UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power’s Gwen Holdmann, Asian Institute of Technology’s and the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Diane Hirshberg, an ACEP affiliate.
Participants in the 2024 Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy pick berries and take photos of a solar farm in Shungnak, located north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska.
Many chapters were authored by current and former ACEP researchers and affiliates,
including (in alphabetical order) Dannia Andrade, Yu Cao, Steve Colt, Magnus de Witt,
John Haverlack, Holdmann, Daisy Huang, Nicole Jacobs, Jeremy Kasper, Annalise Klein
Gerlach, Tom Marsik, Ian McDougall, Addie Norgaard, Dominique Pride, Leasi Vanessa
Lee Raymond, George Reising, Emilia Sakai Hernandez and Erin Whitney.
The book is written for students, scholars and professionals interested in energy,
Indigenous rights, policy and international geopolitics, this handbook provides a
valuable guide to understanding and shaping the future of Arctic energy. It is available
hardbound or as an eBook.
This work relates to the Department of Navy awards N00014-22-1-2049 and N00014-24-1-2675 issued by the Office of Naval Research.