(Institut national de la recherche scientifique – INRS) Emphasis should be on the energy needs of companies and communities rather than locally available resources. Furthermore, social acceptability and active involvement of the aboriginal communities are key to developing renewable energy in the North. These were two main takeaways that emerged from the workshop on defining energy solutions for northern regions held at INRS on Dec. 9, 2016, in the wake of the international research cooperation agreement between Quebec and Iceland.