It's really an interesting question. I haven't built up north, but I can say that from what I've seen, anything that is active requires maintenance. For example, there was a lot of buzz about geothermal and solar thermal—and even solar photoelectric panels, which I do a lot of—all of which require maintenance. They are all active systems that basically degrade over time. The things that we do for energy efficiency, for example, building a building better, thicker, and more air-tight, don't require any maintenance and stand the test of time. For me, up north, I think that is first and foremost the thing we need to do: reduce the amount of energy required. Can we offset it with solar power up north? No, there's no possible way. However, battery power is definitely becoming increasingly feasible, and perhaps a mix of wind and diesel or wind and another source will provide the offsetting that's required.
On February 15th, 2018. See this statement in context.