A Whitehorse-based renewable energy company is shifting its business away from the United States toward local Yukon markets after tariffs sharply increased the cost of exporting its solar and battery storage systems.
Solvest Inc. is receiving more than $260,000 from the federal government to support the transition. The company’s CEO, Ben Power, said Solvest had previously targeted Alaska as a key market, noting the state has 229 diesel-powered communities, compared to 261 across Canada. He said Solvest began operating in the U.S. in 2024, before President Donald Trump’s administration took office following the American federal elections.
Power said tariffs imposed by the U.S. in 2025, and further increases since, have made it unworkable to continue serving that market. He said the tariffs raised the company’s export costs by 65 per cent, creating a significant impact on the business.
Solvest is one of four Yukon companies identified by the federal government as beneficiaries of new funding intended to help territorial businesses respond to tariffs introduced under the Trump administration. In total, Ottawa is providing $1.9 million to Yukon businesses, a group that also includes Cobalt Construction, Northern Vision Development and Ketza Construction.
Federal Funding Aims to Support Local Adaptation
Federal Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand, who oversees the agency distributing the funds, spoke at a press conference in Whitehorse. She said the federal government is acting quickly in response to the escalating trade dispute with the United States, and that the funding is meant to help Yukon businesses adapt and position themselves to take advantage of opportunities in infrastructure, energy, housing and economic development.
Yukon MP Brendan Hanley said that over the summer, many Yukoners raised concerns about the effects of the Trump administration on the territory’s economy and on Canadian sovereignty, in addition to worries about the cost of living, including energy and food prices.
Redesigning for the Placer Mining Industry
With the federal funds, Solvest plans to develop an upgraded version of its power system tailored to the placer mining industry. Power said the company has installed dozens of similar systems across northern Canada and has spent the past two years developing a new design that will be more than five times as powerful as its current model, while also being smaller and less costly.
Power said Solvest has worked with the broader mining industry for years but had not previously served placer mines specifically, due to the sector’s need for mobile power equipment. He said the company is now shifting its focus from U.S. customers toward meeting those mobility requirements for Yukon placer miners.
According to Power, Solvest has spent the past six years building what it calls “power pods” — modular battery and control systems designed to function as portable renewable microgrids that can connect solar power into isolated diesel-based grids. The federal government said the technology is intended to reduce reliance on diesel power and could allow Solvest to expand sales and leasing opportunities going forward.
Power said the new, more powerful design is expected to launch later in 2026, increasing the system’s output from 100 to 500 kilowatts — enough to serve larger mining camps or small communities. He also said Solvest is looking to establish a manufacturing facility in Whitehorse to produce the units domestically, with the first placer-specific unit expected to be ready by spring 2027 and operational for the following mining season.
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