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RAYS OF
HOPERenew able Energy in thePacif ic Islands
Produced w ith funding f romUnited N ations Educational, Scientif ic andCultural Organization
Text by Dale Hermanson
Copyright 2003 UNESCO
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CON TEN TSPreface 3
Forew ord 4
Introduct ion 5
History of Renew able Energy in the Pacif ic 5
New Energy Sources 5
Environmental Concerns 5
Energy Dependence 7
Renew able Sources of Energy 8
Renew able Energy in the Pacif ic 9
Types of Renew able Energy 9
Samoa 13
Kiribat i 15
Papua N ew Guinea 18
Cook Islands 22
Fij i Islands 24
Glossary 32
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It is now generally acceptedthat the use of hydrocarbonfossil f uels has lead to global
w arming, climat e change andsea level rise. Sea level rise
is now here more threateningthan in small is lands, and
Pacifi c island countri es haveb e e n a t t h e f o r e f r o n t o fe f f o r t s t o add ress g loba lw arming and climat e change
both at the int ernational leveland in the use of renew able
energy to reduce dependence on and theexpensive importation of hydrocarbonfuels.
M ajor international agreements onc l i ma t e c h a n g e a n d re d u c t i o n o f
greenhouse gas emissions crucial t o thePaci f ic is lands inc lude the 1992 UNFra me w o rk C o n v e n t i o n o n C l i ma t e
Change, 1997 Kyoto Protocol on Clim ateChange and the Global EnvironmentFacility. There was also the call by theUN Secretary General in the M illenniumR e p o r t f o r a C l e a n D e v e l o p me n t
M echanism to reduce global w arminga n d p ro mo t e t h e u s e o f s o l a r a n drenewable energy. While there was no
agreement on timet ables and targets forincreasing the use of renew able energyat the World Summit on Susta inableDevelopment in Johannesburg, 2002, itwas agreed that there is a need for
r e g i o n a l a n d n a t i o n a l t a r g e t s f o rrenew able energy w hich w il l hopefullybenef i t the Pacif ic is lands and other
small i sland developing states.
PREFACEThe production of Rays
of Hope: Renew able Energy
in the Pac i f i c Is lands i st h e r e f o r e a t i m e l ycontribution to information
a n d a d v o c a c y i n t h epromotion and innovation ofrenewable energy in smallisland states. Rays of Hope
tells the story of renewableenergy in a reg ion wh ichserved as a laboratory for thetrial of RE technology, w here
c o u n t r i e s s t a n d a re a l c h a n c e o fbecoming the f i rst renewable energyeconomies in the w orld w hich is theaim of several countries of the region.
Even if the Pacific islands achieve 50%energy self-suff iciency, this w ill comparefavourably w ith t he proposal, not agreeda t t h e W S S D , f o r a n i n c re a s e o f
renewable energy use to 10% of totalprimary energy supply by 2010.
Pacif ic islanders have been usingrenew able energy ever since they sailed
in to and a round the reg ion on w indpow er, cooked w ith biomass, dried cropsunder the sun and now, w ith int ernationalc o o p e ra t i o n , a re a p p l y i n g R E
technologies in hydropower, for solarelectricity generation, w ater heating andpumping, improved cooking stoves anduse of coconut oil as diesel fuel w hich
Tony M arjoram tells me gives a sw eetsmell to travel. These examples againshow us that the Pacific islands should
serve as an example and stimulus to usall.
Walter ErdelenAssistant Director-General for N aturalSciences, UNESCO
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Tony MarjoramBasic and
Engineering SciencesDivisi on of UN ESCO
FOREWORDClimat e change, global w armingand sea level rise have a real andimmediate importance in smallisland states indeed, sea-levelrise in Pacific island countrieshas become an i nd i ca to r o fg loba l wa rm ing and c l ima techange. In ternat ional agree-ments on climate change andgreenhouse gas emissions arecrucial to the survival of low-l y i n g P a c i f i c i s l a n d s , t h e i rpeoples and cultures.
Pacific island countries andc o m m u n i t i e s a re h i g h l yd e p e n d e n t o n i m p o r t e d
hyd roca rbon fue l s d iese l , pe t ro l andkerosene for generators, engines and cooking
often the largest single import in financialte rms . L im i ted ene rgy resou rces andapplications pose serious constraints andbarriers to sustainable social and economicdevelopment, particularly in rural areas andouter islands. There is an important need toaddress the energy challenge, which in turn
p re s e n t s p a r t i c u l a r o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o rrenewable energy applications. Renewableenergy has also been promoted for povertyreduct ion a round the wor ld wh i le th ispotential exists, there is a particular need forfinancial systems to support t he introductionof expensive household systems if renew ableenergy is to benefit poor people.
A focus on advocacy, information and com-munication, applied research and development,education and training as w ell as micro-creditand finance is required for t he continued pro-motion and innovation of solar and renew ableenergy. The gender dimension of energy sup-ply and use is also required as is the promoti onof solar and renewable energy the fuel of
the future to young people. At the w ider levelhuman-resource and institutional capacity-building in governments and governmental
agencies, financial institutions, non-govern-mental organizations, local entrepreneurs and
the private sector is required forthe continued innovation andcommercialization of solar andrenewable energy, especially inrural and remote areas.
In the last decade, annualmeetings of the Pacific IslandsForum, is land leaders haveconsistently advocated measuresto address the chal lenges ofg reenhouse gas emiss ions,global warming, sea level riseand promotion of sustainabledevelopment, and emphasisedthe importance of renewableenergy techno log ies as an
effective means of addressing these problems,both domestically and internationally. At theJu ly 2002 Reg iona l Ene rgy M ee t ing i nRaro tonga , Pac i f i c i s land s ta tes aga inw elcomed the progress made on the innovationof renewable energy, and called upon theinternational community to set effective targetsand timetables w ithin the im plementation plano f the ( then fo r thcoming ) WSSD inJohannesburg to achieve a signif icant increasein t he use of renew able sources of energy.
Few doub t the impo r tan t ro le tha trenewables will play in energy supply 100years, 50 years or even less from now. Whilethere was no formal agreement on timetablesand targets for increasing the use of renew ableenergy at the WSSD, the chal lenge is tomobilize political commitment and move fromnow into the future with the application of
renewable energy for the benefit of Pacificislanders and the world at large. The Pacificislands are leading the way the rest of theworld should be humbled by this and followtheir role.
UNESCO would like to thank all those inthe Pacific and elsewhere who have contributedto the product ion of Rays of Hope , andacknowledge the commitment of al l those
around the world who are reaching for arenew able and sustainable future.
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From the beginning, energy came fromnature. In the Pacific as elsew here in
the world the use of natures energyenabled people to survive and to f lourish.
Today, Pacific islanders are learningthat energy from nature may also be their
hope for a better f uture.
History of Renewable Energy inthe PacificIn traditional times, firewood provided
the main energy source for cooking in the
Pacific. W e now call thi s energy sourcebiomass. Biomass w as easily availableand f or the people in those days the
supply seemed endless.Fo r t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , e n e rg y w a s
provided by the w ind. Pacifi c islanderss a i l e d t h e i r g re a t v e s s e l s a c ro s s
hundreds of t housands of kilomet res of
ocean for exploration, trade and evenwar.
Light was provided in some islandsby traditional oil l amps or fires.
New Energy SourcesAf te r the coming o f Europeans, the
P a c i f i c i s l a n d s b e g a n t o c h a n g edramatically. One new development w asthe introduction of different sources of
energy. The biggest change was theintroduction of petroleum-based productsto fuel the growing numbers of cars,trucks and boats for t ransportation.
Electricity too w as pow ered by fossilfuels. Huge generators w ere brought inthat provided much-needed electricity
I n t r o d u c t i o nbut they in turn created pollution andcaused w aste disposal problems.
Environmental Concerns
B e g i n n i n g i n t h e 1 9 6 0 s , c o n c e rn swor ldwide began to g row about thepol lut ion caused by petroleum-based
products. The long-term effects of oils p i l l e d i n t o t h e o c e a n d u r i n gtransportation or seeping into the soil
after its use, became a great worry tothose concerned with the environment
and healt h. Especiall y in the Pacif icislands, w here resources are so limi ted
and the coastal environment so fragile,the potential for disaster w as frightening.
Coral Pasisi SPREPEven though its a very
minute possibili ty, theresalways the possibili ty of an oil
spill. We in the Pacific really
dont have the abi li ty to
recover from something like
that.
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Global w arming has been blamed for
many environmental problems in recentyears d roughts , f loods , inc reasedtropical cyclones, and a steady rise in t hesea level. For example, atoll countries
like Tuvalu have great concerns w it h sealevel rise. W ith even a small rise in sealevel, they may not have a country at all .This is a tremendous loss, not only of bio-
diversity in t hat country, but of t he w holeculture and the sovereignty of a people.
But the i sland countries reliance onfossil fuels is not j ust an environmental
concern. It is an economic concern too,because countries rely on a steady supplyof fossil fuels to assist in the develop-ment of t heir grow ing economies. Fossil
fuels provide electricity and electricityhelps fuel development, particularly forthe m ainly rural Pacific island people.
I f p e o p l e d o n t h a v e a c c e s s t o
e l e c t r i c i t y , s ma l l - s c a l e i n c o meg e n e ra t i o n p ro j e c t s b e c o me mo rediff icult. Especially in the rural areas,income generation projects are usually
successful only when people can workin t he evenings, because during the daymost villagers are busy earning a l iving.Th e y re e i t h e r g a rd e n i n g , f i s h i n g ,
bu i l d ing boa ts o r engaged in o the ractivities.
Because of the cost and dif ficult y of
transporting fossil fuel to some of theisolated i slands of the Pacifi c, many ruralcommuni t ies s t i l l have no access toelectricity.
In the 1970s scient ists began to,
noti ce that t he ozone layer in the earthsatmosphere was gradually being eatenaway by the so -ca l l ed g reenhouse gases. And t his w as causing the Earths
atmosphere to heat up.
Taito Nakalevu SPREP
The burning of fossi l fuelsreleases gases like carbon
dioxide and nitrous oxide into
the atmosphere and they
contribute to what are called
green house gases. These are
gases that actually trap the
heat in the atmosphere and
contribute to what is termedglobal warming.
The situation is called the greenhouse
effect because of the way gases aretrapped within the Earths atmosphere issimilar to the w ay the Suns rays are trapped
in a greenhouse to keep plants w arm.This greenhouse eff ect is brought onby large amounts of carbon dioxide andnitrous oxide being released into theatmosphere during years and years of
burning fossil fuels mainly by the largermetropolit an countries. And, just like agreenhouse, temperatures around the
world are r is ing as a result of thesetrapped gases.
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Energy Dependence
Re l iance on fue l f o r e lec t r i c i t y hascreated a dependency in Pacific Islandcountries a dependency that carries riskf o r t h e i r e c o n om i e s . S ma l l i s l a n dcountries have little or no say over the
price of oil on the market. W hen oil pricesrise, island economies have to somehowadapt. And w hen there is a disruption inthe supply of oil, island countries are
often left w ith now here to turn.That l ack of control became painfully
obvious in 1973 with the Oil Embargo.
M any oi l producing countries slow edtheir production of oil, claiming that t heirsupply w as running out. Suddenly thesupply of oil on the world market was
uncertain. Prices skyrocketed. M ostn a t i o n a l e c o n o m i e s a re b a s e d o nindustries that rely directly or indirectlyon electricity and transportation.
The economic development of Pacifi cis land countries has been helplesslyhand-cuffed to the regular supply of
aff ordable oil and the reliance on oil forthe supply of electricity. W ith a disruptionin the supply o f o i l , countr ies in thePacific and throughout the w orld hadto look at other sources of energy
renewablesources of energy.
Robert Guild FORUM SecretariatThe current situation in thePacific islands is that, on
average, 70% of the people
have no access to electricity at
all. And that 70% even is a bit
misleading, because outside of
the urban areas, its close to
100%.
Discussion Points Part 11) Before Europeans and others came to
the Pacific, what were some of thetradi ti onal energy sources for Pacifi cislanders?
2) W e re t h e n ew e ne rg y s ou rc es
brought f rom overseas be t te r o rworse? Why?
3) How does using energy lead to the
greenhouse eff ect?4) Can you not ice any effects in your
country from global w arming?
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Renewable Sources of Energy
Mahendra Kumar USPRenewable energy is actually
natural. Its part of the
current as it were in the
environment and what one
does is basically tap into this
current. For example, solar
energy is coming through all
the time. When a solar device
is actually used to harness
energy, we are not depleting
energy. We are just merely
tapping into the current
already in the environment.
Anare Mataikiviti SOPACMany of these countries have
actually realised that
renewable energy is something
that wi ll take them right out of
the noose of depending on
petroleum products.
Renew able energy is a source of energy
that nat ure replenishes. For that reason,the long-term benefits are obvious. Thesource of the energy is provided free bynature. I t is on ly the technology to
harness this energy that w ill cost money.Renew able energy sources include w ind,sunlight, w aves, bio-gas, thermal energyand bio-mass or firewood as long as
it s supply can be sustai nable.
Tony Marjoram UNESCOIf you go to the future and
look back in a 100 years
around the world, renewable
sources have to be more used
because conventional sourcesof energy will be running out.
So, in situations where
conventional fuels are
expensive, renewable energy
alternatives are very viable.
B u t w h e t h e r i t i s s u p p l i e d b y
expensive foss i l fue ls or a l ternat ivesources of energy, the primary need forenergy in the Pacif ic islands is t he supply
of electricity.
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Solomone Fifita Pacific CommunityI dont see people in the
remote areas developing
without a source of electricity,
and renewable energy systems
offer the most cost effective
source of electricity for them.
Renewable Energy in thePacificIn the late 1970s and early 1980s, theeyes of the world turned to the Pacificas a testing ground for trying models ofrenewable energy.
The potential of renewable energywas recognized early on. If countriesm o v e t o w a r d s b e c o m i n g 1 0 0 %
renew able, then they w ill no longer needto im port diesel as a fuel for generators.The countr ies can then spend moremoney on other development needs such
as education and health.
Herb Wade Energy ConsultantThe Pacific is a place were
renewable energy makes good
sense. It has a high solar
resource, a remote population
and very low requirements for
electricity. It was obvious
from the beginning that eventhough solar was relati vely
costly, it was more costly to
use other forms of energy.
Types of Renewable EnergyM a n y d i f f e ren t f o rms o f r e n ew a b l e
energies w ere introduced in the Pacific.The islands became a kind of l aboratoryf o r t h e d e v e l o p e d w o r l d t o s e e i f
renewable energy sources would work.Th e mo s t w i d e s p re a d s o u rc e o frenewab le energy is s t i l l bio-mass w hich is the use of w ood for cooking and
heating.
Another form of renewable energyused in the Pacif ic is bio-gas, w hich usesthe excrement from pigs or other animals
in a sealed chamber to produce methanegas. This met hane gas can then pow era generator to produce electricit y or forcooking.
M ost of the main renew able energysources availabl e today are in use in the
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Pacifi c or are planned for use here. These
include:
so la r e ne rg y f r om ph ot o vo l t a icelectricity generation
solar water pumps for pumping water solar w a ter heat ing w ind turbines to genera te elect r ici t y coconut and o ther p lant o i ls for use
in diesel engines. (This can be usedfor transportation or running dieselgenerators)
w ave energy is another source tha t
is still experimental i n the Pacific. Itis more likely to be used in the f uturerather than now
ocean thermal energy convers ion or
OTEC is another new energy source hydro power p lants tha t can run f rom
an average stream h yd ro p ow e r p ro je ct s o n a mu ch
larger scale
Renewable energy made sense toeve ryone , espec ia l l y i n t he Pac i f i c
islands. But implem enting projects thatwou ld be success fu l in the d i f f i cu l tconditi ons in the islands w as not alw ayseasy. Early experiment s in solar energy,
for example, met w ith m ixed success.
Herb WadeThe ini tial experience wasnot very good, because the
technology was not well
understood and many of the
components had a relatively
short li fe. The very early
systems didnt even last long
enough to require anymaintenance.
Gradually, the technology improved.And yet, other problems began to surfaceas new renew able energy projects w erei n t ro d u c e d . The s e p ro b l e ms w e re
generally due to a lack of understanding
by people on how the technology w orkedand how to mainta in th ings such asbatt eries. These early experiment s led
to a realization that t here w as a lot moreto making these systems w ork than justimproving the technology.
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Tony MarjoramThere has to be a social andeconomic aspect when youre
introducing new technology
like this. People have to want
it. People have to recogni se
their need for it. And also
there has to be some training
in terms of maintenance ofthe system.
Another learning experience whenintroducing this new technology into ther e g i o n w a s t h e n e e d f o r c l o s econsultation with the local people, and
that included the women. In many Pacific
societies, the main end users of energyare the w omen.
Suliana Siwatibau FSPIn terms of electricity, menand the women share the
benefi ts. But, its usually the
men who make the decision.
How do we get the womens
voice to be more prominent?
We need to facili tate the
empowerment, so thateverybody begins to listen to
women in decision-making.
Bu t as techno log ies con t inue toimprove, why aren t more renewableenergy p ro jec ts succeed ing? W hat
lessons are being learned?
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Th e me t h o d s f o r ma n a g i n g
renewable energy projects and under-standing socio-economic considerati onsare becomi ng bett er recognized. Theimportance of the human element in
renewable energy pro jects has nowbecome even more important than thetechnology. The Pacific now appears tob e e n t e r i n g a second w av e o f
renew able energy development, one thatpoints to a fairly bright fut ure.
Discussion Points Part 21) W h at i s on e d ra w b a ck of b ei n g
dependent on ot her countries for yourenergy supply?
2) W hat sources of renew able energy
would work in your island country?Why?
3) W hy do you think many of the earlyexper iments in renewable energy
failed?
Marlene Kalmet PREFACE ProjectIn a lot of projects in the pasttheyve looked only at the
technical specifications. Well,
technology driven or donor
driven, it finishes right after
installation. What about the
insti tutional part? Is the
capacity of people at thenational and community level
improving to assist in the
projects sustainabili ty?
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SAM OAThe Pacif ic island count ry of Samoa hastwo main islands with just over 1,000
square mi les of land. The country has atotal populat ion of just over 225,000
people. Like other is land countri es,Samoas primary energy need was for
electricity. And like ot her countries, mucho f i t s na t iona l economy was spen tpurchasing fossil fuels.
Jolai Lavea Deputy Financial Sec.
Historically, Samoa has been
getting its power from diesel
and with the cost of imported
fuel, about 12 to 15 % of our
total imports are consti tuted
by petroleum. So thats a lot of
resources going out to pay for
petroleum.
With such a h igh fue l b i l l for thecountry, Samoas leaders looked beyondfossil f uel sources of energy and began to
examine renew able sources. Because ofits mountainous geography and plentifulrainfall, the capital island of Upolu was
well suited for a medium-scale hydroproject. A dam w as set up in Afalilo to
feed a hydro-electric pow er plant. Thisrenew able energy project came online i n
1993.
Joseph Walte Deputy G.M. ECS
When Afali lo fi rst came
online, the ratio was switched
from 20% hydro and 80%
diesel to 80% hydro and 20%
diesel. I think we would love
to see 100% hydro ratio but
thats a bit optimisti c.
Because of less reliance on dieselfuel as an energy source for electricity,
less money travels out of the country.And th i s a l l ows the gove rnmen t t oincrease the availabil i ty of electricity.Currently, nearly 95% of t he population
have access to e lec t r ic i t y . Bu t thegovernment is p lanning to in t roduceanother hydro project, this time on theisland of Savaii.
But large-scale hydro projects do notcome cheaply. They require a largeamount of funding up front even before
the f i rst k i lowatt of e lectr ic i ty is everproduced. Despite the large initi al set-
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Solar energy and wind power also
have potent ial in Samoa. Currently, solarpow er is used mainly on private homesfor hot w ater, and in more remote areasfor radio repeating stations. The Samoa
Electric Company also feels that w ind haspotential for future development as anenergy source, but t here are a number ofsteps that need to be t aken before such
an option can be considered viable.Bu t fo r bo th o f these renewab le
sources, leaders in Samoa are keepingth e i r eyes and ea rs open . Fo r a
re n e w a b l e e n e rg y s o u rc e t o b econsidered, i t must be commercia l lyv iab le . I t s pu rchase cos t mus t bew eighed against it s operating cost to see
how cost effective it w ould be.
Discussion Points:1) W hy is hydro pow er considered to be
a renew able source of energy?2) Other than provid ing energy, how
does using renewable sources of
energy benefit island countries?
u p c o s t s f o r h y d ro p ro j e c t s , t h e
government of Samoa sees renewableenergy as a long-term solution for itsgrow ing energy needs.
Jolai LaveaI f we can generate our
electricity 100% from hydro,
we will reduce the burden offoreign exchange requi red to
purchase imported petroleum
and also theres the
environmental
considerations.
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KIRIBATIThe island republic of Kiribati is one oft h e P a c i f i c s s ma l l a t o l l c o u n t r i e s .
A p p ro x i ma t e l y 8 5 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e a rescattered across 33 islands. Rough seas
o r s t o rms s o me t i me s ma k e t r a n s -portation between the islands difficult.
On the m ain island of Taraw a, electricityi s p r i ma r i l y p ro v i d e d b y d i e s e lgene ra t ion . Because o f popu la t i ongrow th and other i ncreases in demand,
t h e n e e d f o r e l e c t r i c i t y g r o w sapproximately 5-6% every year.
The Kiribati government recognisedthat economic development i n the outer
islands was in many ways t ied to theregular supply of electri city. And so, in1984, the government established theSo la r Ene rgy Compa ny. The ea r l y
exper iences of the company thoughinvolved a number of problems.
The frequent failures of their solarsystems l ed people on the outer islands
to turn back to small diesel generatorsfor their electricity needs. The SolarEnergy Company realised that, if solarenergy was go ing to work, i t had to
change i t s approach. The companydecided to h i re and t ra in loca l f ie ld
technicians. These technicians not onlyassisted with the set up of the solarl ight ing systems, they a lso regular lymaintained them.
Rutete Ioteba Solar Energy Company
When i t was first established,
we just sold the solar
equipment to the people in theouter i slands. They installed
their own system and they
maintained it. But because
they were not fully aware of
the technology, we found that
in most cases these systems
did not last long.
The Solar Elect ric Company chargesa monthly payment that helps pay for the
maintenance of the system as w ell as thereplacement any defective component.The same technicians that m aintain t hes o l a r s y s t e ms a l s o o p e ra t e a s b i l l
collectors, collecting the mont hly fee forthe company.
The int roduction of a reliable sourceof electricit y in the outer i slands quickly
changed the lif estyle of t he people.
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Abamakoro VillagerMy grandchildren are inschool and they use the light to
study and carry out their
programme in school. Some
of our neighbours dont have
solar and they come to our
house to talk and have a
meeting in this house becausewe have a light.
Terubentau Akura Solar Energy Company.
After the implementation of
the rural electri fi cation
project in Kiribati, we haveseen that peoples lives have
changed for the better. The
majori ty of the population in
Kiribati need basic li ghting
and probably a radio. As their
income increases, we tend to
see people add more
appliances.
Rura l schoo ls and s tudents a lso
benef i t f rom the avai lab i l i ty o f so larpow ered lighti ng. Students are able tostudy longer and have other activit ies inthe school. Rural health centres also
benef i t f rom solar pow er. The solarpanels provide pow er for lighting and forthe running of a small refrigerator, w hichis used to store perishable vaccines. In
this w ay, solar pow er provides the meansfor t he regular immunization of childrenin t he rural areas.
Solar panels are also used to pow er
remote radio-telephone sites in Kiribati.This makes it much easier for rural peopleto stay in communi cation. This againincreases their opportuniti es for income
genera t ing ac t iv i t ies . Bu t w hy hasKiribat is Solar Energy Company w orked,where in other is land countries solarpow er projects have fl oundered?
Terubentau AkuraWe have the project planned
in a way that the local peopleare leading the project rather
than foreign consultants. This
means that they know exactly
what is to be done rather than
being told what is to be done.
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D e s p i t e t h e i r s e l f - r e l i a n c e i n
operating the solar project, Kiribati stillneeds financial assistance in expandingthei r current set-up. Because of the highinitial costs for establishing renewable
energy projects, international donors areoften sought to provide the necessarystart-up f unds.
In K i r i ba t i , t he Eu ropean Un ion
provided the necessary funds for theirexisting solar project. The EU is apparentlysatisf ied that the init ial project was asuccess. It is now providing funding for
the installation of another 1,500 solarpow er systems for homes and 33 systemsfor village halls or maneabas. The newEU project will increase the number of
rural solar systems ten-fold. Despite thisincrease, there is still more demand thancan be met.
Rutete IotebaWith 1,500 households to be
electri fied, we cover only
about one-fi fth of thehouseholds in the outer
islands. There are many other
households to be covered in
this programme.
By parliamentary decision, the Solar
Energy Company is the supp l ie r o felectricity only to the outer islands. Butin Kiribatis future, there may be evenmore solar powered electricity on the
main island.
Tokia Grieg CEO, Public Utilities BoardI think obviously if solar
power can be more
economical to run to be able
to compete with diesel engine,
I see a possibili ty of a merger
between PUB and Solar
Energy.
Discussion Points1) D o yo u t hi n k t h e so l ar p ow e r
programme has worked in Kiribati?Why?
2) W h at b e ne f i t s h as so l ar po w e rprovided to the people?
3) W hy is there st i l l a need for overseasdono rs to ass i s t w i t h renewab leenergy projects?
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PAPUA N EW GUI N EAThe largest country in the Pacific inboth populat ion and land mass is PapuaNew Guinea. M ost of its nearly 5 mill ionpeople live in rural areas either in the
mountainous interior or in the is landgroups to the east. Alt hough it is one ofthe only Pacific island countries w ith i ts
own oil reserves, the supply of energystill remains one of its basic developmentconcerns.
Although it is a country wealthy in
many natural resources, the regular and
c o s t e f f e c t i v e s u p p l y o f e l e c t r i c i t yremains one of its prim ary energy goals.In the rural areas, only about 5-7% of t he
rural populat ion currently have access toe lec t r ic i t y. Par t o f the d i f f i cu l ty indelivering power to these people is therugged isolation of rural communit ies.
Benson Milit G.M. PNG PowerIts unique here in Papua New
Guinea because its so difficult to
get to some places. The actual cost
of transportation just moving
equipment in and out of certain
areas is very expensive.
As in t he sma l le r Pac i f i c i s landcountries, renewable energy sourcesseemed best suited to address PNGsenergy needs.
Vore Veve Director of EnergyTheres a lot of potential for
renewable energy, especially
in hydro, solar, wind, ocean
thermal, OTEC. But at the
moment we are concentrating
on technically and financially
feasible renewable energyprojects.
One project that proved financiallyfeasible was hydro. Beginning in theearly 1960s a medium-scale hydro project
was init iated f irst for the capital, Port
M oresby, and then for other urban areas.Apart from the average consumers thehydro pow ered electricity supply has also
helped fuel PNGs growing industries.
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Chris Bias Tech. Services, PNG PowerMost major industries rely on
the electricity supply. So if the
country has a good, cheap
electricity supply, then
obviously it benefits both
industry and the country as a
whole.
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e m a j o r h y d r oprojects, a number of smal ler mi ni-hydro
projects have been initiated to providepow er for remote locations. To date, fi vesuch min i -hydro pro jects have beeninitiated, ranging from 60 to 312 kilow att
units.Another example of how renew able
energy has helped in the rural areas is inthe area of educat ion. At the Kivol i
Primary School in the highlands outsidePort M oresby, a hybridrenew able energysystem w as set up.
Hybrid means using more than one
method of energy generation. In thiscase, wind turbines and solar panelsprovide an independent supply of pow erto a remot e rural school.
Having electric lights increases thestudents abilit ies to study for nationalexams. It also allow s the teachers to
prepare for the next days work and toassist t hose students w ho need special
assistance aft er hours. And yet, once
again, i t is not the equipment that isa f fec t ing the success o f renewab leenergy projects, but a lack of aw arenessof how the equipment w orks.
Luo Chow Sheung ConsultantThe people here, they dont
know much about renewableenergy technologies. They
dont know how to maintain
it, even in a simple way. For
instance, some of the
batteries, they lack water, but
they dont know how to fi ll the
battery water.
Another major issue in the furtherdevelopment of renewable energy inPapua New Guinea is prob lems wi th
landowners.
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Vore VeveWe have an internal domesticproblem with land, especially
if you look at hydro. It covers
wide areas of land so we need
to consider land
compensation programmes.
It s a problem in our country.
We need to address it in asensitive way.
Desp i te e f fo r ts to exp la in to the
landowners how e lec t r ic i t y benef i t sthem, some choose to re jec t t hesebenefi ts. The Energy Department is tryingto address the misunderstandings and
confusion of the rural population throughan educat ional awareness campaign.The department sees aw areness raisingas a priori ty in making PNGs renew able
energy projects w ork.A t t h e A p p ro p r i a t e Te c h n o l o g y
Development Instit ute, or ATCDI, in Lae,
engineers are actively t rying to educateand in form those who can br ing theknow ledge into the rural areas w here itis needed most.
Gariao Gafiye ATCDIATCDI is conducting these
short courses so that
development workers at the
provincial level can go out to
the villages and educate
people about the availabili ty
of renewable energies and
how they can uti lize them.
Even at University level, academicsrecognise that education in renewable
energy is essenti al for PNGs fut ure. Atthe University of Papua New Guinea inPort M oresby, renew able energy is stil la relatively new topic on the curriculum.
Michael Korimas UPNGWe have to create some
awareness among the people,
and I think educati on can
contri bute to that.
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PNG is r ich in resources and in
potent ia l . But i t is also hampered bydiff icult challenges mainly brought on bya lack of aw areness by rural people aboutthe importance of renew able energy. And
yet, efforts in PNG move forw ard, guidedby those who recognise the fact thatrenewable energy must be introducedn o w b e f o re f o s s i l f u e l s r u n o u t o r
increase even more in price.
Discussion Points
1) How do problems w i th landow nersaffect renew able energy projects?
2) How does a lack o f awareness o fre n e w a b l e e n e rg y t e c h n o l o g i e saffect their success?
3) How can awareness be raised aboutthe importance of renew able energyin PNG?
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COOK I SLAN D SAnother of the Pacif ic s small is landcountries, the Cook Islands, comprises
only 93 square mi les, spread over dozensof small islands. The majorit y of the
country s 20,000 people l ive on thecapital island of Rarotonga. Unlike many
of its less-developed neighbours, mostCook Islanders have access to electri cit y.
Solar energy was pioneered in theCook Islands in the mi d-1970s. Ten years
later, Tom W ichman w as sent to f ind outw hy nearly all of t he solar systems had
fai led. He told one unhappy solar userthat he could fix his photovoltaic system
if he brought him a bush knife.
Tom Wichman ConsultantHe brought the bush knife
and gave it to me reluctantly.
There was a banana tree
growing beside his house right
over his solar panel so I
whacked it down. I said Now
its working. Go and have a
look.
l ed to t he fa i l u re o f t he renewab letechno l og ies . Learn ing f rom those
expe r iences , t he Cook I s landsgovernment continues to forge ahead
w ith new renew able energy projects.
Mata Noorea Director of EnergyThe government is really
pushing renewable energy,
mainly because the cost of
fuel is going up and up.
Renewable energy is veryimportant as far as the Cooks
is concerned.
A more recent solar project on theisland of Pukapuka w as more successful.
Another project, a wind powered gridsystem, will be implemented shortly on
the island of M angaia. Yet another w indpowered generator will be installed on
Rarotonga as a trial. These projects showthat the Cook Islands government isserious about its int entions to move morestrongly into renew able sources of energy.
Another quite unique energy sourceis also being used in t he Cook Islands
coconut oil. The oil can actually be usedas a fuel in a normal diesel engine.
These early Cook Island experiences
once again showed that in most caseslack of training and lack of awareness
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Tom WichmanYou can run a tractor, youcan run a car, an outboard
motor if its made for diesel
fuel, you can replace it with
coconut oil without doing
anything to it. Most people
wouldnt noti ce the difference
except theres this beautifularoma. When I first started it,
people came around to say
what you cooking?
Robert Guild FORUM SecretariatIf you produce your own fuelfrom coconuts that grow
within your country, youre
not importi ng drums of diesel.
In addition to that youre
generating local jobs, which of
course people spend within
the local economy and youhave a multiplier effect.
Another energy use Tom found forcoconut oil i s in the running of generatorst o p o w e r h i s h y d ro p o n i c s p ro j e c t .H y d ro p o n i c s w o rk s o n p ro v i d i n gvegetables w ith w ater and nutrients w ith
barely any soil. The nutrients and w atermust continually flow through the rootsof the plants to w ork.
This hydroponics project, powered byelectricity but f uelled by coconut oil isan example of how renewable energy canhelp improve living standards in the islands.Its another ray of hope for the future.
Discussion Points1) H ow c ou l d t h e i nc re a se d u se of
coconut o i l as an energy sourcebenefit the Cook Islands and otherPacifi c Island countries?
2) W hat other w ays could coconut oi lr e d u c e t h e i s l a n d c o u n t r i e s dependence on fossil fuels?
3) W hy did the early solar systems inthe Cook Islands not succeed?
Nearly every Pacific island countryhas a huge supply of coconuts avail able.
The fact that a diesel engine runs oncoconut oil shows exciting possibilit ies
for the fut ure of renew able energy in thePacific.
During the 2002 Regional EnergyM eeting in Rarotonga, Tony Dreaver, an
entrepreneur from Vanuatu, fit a smalldevice onto a normal diesel engine to
heat the coconut oil before using it t o runa four-wheel drive vehicle. The vehicle
drove as naturally as a regular dieselengine and was easily able to climb asteep hill.
M r Dreaver runs buses, taxis and
other vehicles in Vanuatu, all on coconutoil. If done in a large scale, the use of
coconut oil as a fuel could decrease acountrys dependency on fossil f uels.
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W i t h a p o p u l a t i o n b a s e o f n e a r l y800,000, Fi j i is the Paci f ic s second
largest country. M ost of the populationis centred on the tw o main islands, w hich
take up most of Fiji s 7,000 square mi lesof land. As in the rest of the Pacifi c, Fiji
has moved into renewable sources ofenergy due to t he high cost of fossil fuels.
In the early 1980s, Fiji began operatinga medium-sized hydro-electric facility at
M onasavu, in the centre of the island. It isthe biggest renew able energy project in the
country. Up until recently, it has been ableto supply all of the electricity needs for the
country.During the t urbulent year of 2000, Fiji
was embroiled in a coup attempt and awidespread series of illegal takeovers
and d is tu rbances . Ind igenous land-ow ners took this opportunit y to take over
the M onasavu hydro facility and maded e ma n d s f o r mo re c o mp e n s a t i o n .
A l though the peop le i nvo lved we reeven tua l l y a r res ted , t he e lec t r i c i t yauthority learned valuable lessons forfuture large-scale energy projects.
FI JI I SLAN D S
Joe Mar Chairman, FEAIf you are going to go into
new hydro sites, you involve
land. If you go into wind
farming, it involves land. Andone of the problems is that the
expectations of the
landowners for compensation
are very, very high.
W hile Fijis electricity authority deals
with large-scale electricity supply, thegovernments Department of Energy is
in i t iat ing smaller community projectst h a t f o r t h e m o s t p a r t i n v o l v erenew able energy. The Departm ent ofEnergy has developed a plan to initiate
renewable energy projects in a moreeff ic ient way by involving the private
sector.
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countries, it is in the rural areas w here
p e o p l e a re mo s t i n n e e d o f t h edevelopment benefit s that electricity canbring.
One organization that is examining
the energy needs of w omen in the rurala re a s i s c a l l e d ECOW OM A N.ECOW OM AN is an organization made upof w omen in science and technology w ho
have a vested interest in the needs ofrural w omen and also in issues relatingto gender in science and technology.
One of ECOW OM AN s activit ies w as
a UN ESCO funded project that assessedavailable energy resources and identif iedthe bes t way to p rov ide renewab leenergy to the rural areas. The project
then looked at the gaps betw een the tw oand ident i f ied ways of c los ing thoseg a p s . On e o f t h e ma i n g o a l s i s t odetermine ways to improve the lives of
rural women through the availability ofenergy.
A t t h e n a t i o n a l l e v e l , t h e F i j iElect ricit y Authorit y (FEA) has stat ed that
in ten years tim e, the company w ill be a f u n d a m e n t a l l y r e n e w a b l e e n e r g ycomp any. For FEAs chair ma n, t hereasons for Fiji t o go renew able are more
than just simple economics.
Makareta Sauturaga Project Manager, Dept. of EnergyOur future plan is to have
wide-spread implementation
of renewable energy-based
rural electri fi cation. How we
are going to do that is through
the involvement of the private
sector called RenewableEnergy Based Companies or
RESCOS.
In the village of Bukuya, deep in theinterior of Fijis main island, a smallerhydroelectric project provides electricit yfor over 200 homes. The project show s
that even with relatively l i t t le waterf l o w a h y d ro e l e c t r i c p ro j e c t c a ne f f i c i e n t l y p ro v i d e p o w e r f o r r u ra lcommunities.
Although the Chinese governmentfunded the system, the project i s run asa cooperative. Income collected from
users of the power is put back into thema i n t e n a n c e a n d u p g ra d i n g o f t h es y st e m . Th e e l e c t r i c i t y p ro d u c e dprovides l ight ing for homes and the
school, as w ell as for TVs and other minorpow er uses.
In Fijis rural areas, more renewableenergy projects li ke those in Bukuya are
being implemented t o improve the livesof rural people. In Fiji and other island
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Joe MarI m very passionate aboutthis. If youre a world citizen,
i ts a moral and personal
responsibili ty to look after the
world in terms of the
environment, and one of those
things is to stop burning fossi l
fuels.
To assist Pacific island countries intheir quest to develop better and more
eff ic ient renewable energy models, anumber of regional and internat ionalorganizations provide help. One of theseorganizat ions is SOPAC, the South Pacif ic
Applied Geoscience Commission.SOPAC has a mandate by the regional
a g e n c i e s t o c o o rd i n a t e e n e rg yp ro g ra mme s i n t h e re g i o n . Th e
organizati on does research and advisescountries in bi omass, solar, w ind, ocean,w ave energy, etc. SOPAC actual ly coversa w i d e ra n g e o f r e n e w a b l e e n e rg y
resources for the region.The Pacif ic regional organizations
have developed an energy working groupt o c o o rd i n a t e a s s i s t a n c e t o i s l a n d
c o u n t r i e s i n t h e d e v e l o p me n t o frenew able energy project s. The groupcoordinates various energy programmesand examines gaps in what assistance
each organizat i on prov ides. I t thenattempts to f i l l that gap.
Th e S e c re t a r i a t o f t h e P a c i f i c
Community, SPC, is another regionalorganization that has been involved inpromoting renew able energy.
Solomone Fifita Pacific Community
To me, the end product is
whether the people are gettingthe service or not. It doesnt
really matter how many
people are involved as long as
we ensure that our acti viti es
and our resources are used in
the most effi cient manner and
complement one another.
SOPAC and SPC convened a RegionalEnergy M eeting in 2002 in Rarotonga inthe Cook Islands. The M eeti ng brought
together those in the island countrieswho have the responsibility to overseethe development and operation of energy
in their respective countries. One of themain purposes of the meeting was tofi nalize a Regional Energy Policy f or t hePacific.
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Anare Matakaiviti Energy Advisor, SOPACThe regional energy policy
was developed taking into
account what is happening in
countries in the region. This
regional energy policy will be
a sort of beacon, a guiding
light for the member countriesin developing their poli cies.
The development o f th is reg ional
energy policy has created a frameworkfor Pacific island countries to emul ate indeveloping their own national policiesand plans.
Robert GuildNati onal energy poli cies setthe rules by which the energy
sector wi ll be developed. And
so countries fi nd it very useful
to go through the
priori ti zati on process of
developing a poli cy, so that
they know where toconcentrate their resources
and their acti vit ies.
To help promote renew able energy ona national level, one of the goals of ana t iona l energy po l icy cou ld be thereduction in import duty on renewable
energy t echnology.
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Tony Marjoram UNESCOIf you want to promoterenewable energy technology,
you have to make them
attractive and affordable.
Reducing the duty on such
things is one way of doing this.
If renewable energy
technologies are lower rated,then they appear to be cheaper
and are more likely to be used.
As has been seen throughout thePacific islands, the high cost of fossilfuels as an energy source is a strongmot iva t ing fac to r to in t roduce more
renew ab le sou rces o f ene rgy. Bu tanother factor, w hich is possibly just asstrong, is the harmful ef fects on theenvironment f rom using fossil fuels.
One cause of these harmful effectsis the large diesel generators used inisland countries to produce electricity.
The waste oi l f rom these generatorsb e c o m e s a w a s t e p r o d u c t t h a t i sdangerous to t he environment.
In Kiribati, t he pow erhouse on Betio
generates pow er for most of t he southernpart of Taraw a. On a property near thepow erhouse, a well w as dug to tap intothe groundw ater.
It w as discovered that w aste oil from
t h e p o w e rh o u s e g e n e ra t o r s h a dcontaminated the groundwater system,making the w ell unusable. This thenbecomes an environmental as w ell as a
health i ssue.A la rge r conce rn fo r t he Pac i f i c
is lands environment is the change inclimate patterns from global w arming. In
2001, many countries in Europe and otherparts o f the wor ld s igned the KyotoPro toco l . This ag reemen t f o rm a l l yc o mmi t t e d c o u n t r i e s t o a b i d e b y a
s t ru c t u re d p l a n t o r e d u c e t h e i rgreenhouse emissions by a certai n date.
Unfortunately, the United States andAustralia, tw o of the biggest contributors
to greenhouse emissions, did not sign thatprotocol (by the time this guide went toprint ). Pacifi c island countries have beenquite vocal in t heir concern over this fact.
Taito Nakalevu SPREPI think the call from the
Pacific is for the globalcommunity to reduce their
emissions of greenhouse
gases, especially carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous
oxide. Because we are facing
the impact ri ght now in terms
of adverse impacts on our
climate.
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prob lems a l ready caused by g loba l
warming.
Taito NakalevuI think the Pacifi c will need to
look at adaptation now.
Because even if the global
community reduces its
emissions of greenhousegases, i t wont reduce the
adverse impact of climate
change in one night or even in
one year. Defini tely there
would have to be adaptati on.
What does the future hold for the
energy scene in the Pacific islands? Is therea ray of hope that will light the way formore renewable energy in the future?
M any energy experts realize that, t o
get renew able energy projects onto thepriori ty l ist for nat ional development,they must make po l i t i c ians and the
general public more aw are of renew ableenergy possibilit ies.
It has been said, nothing succeedslike success. To raise awareness in the
P a c i f i c o f t h e re n e w a b l e e n e rg y spotent ial, successful models are neededas examples. If decision makers can seetha t renewab le ene rgy sou rces a re
s u c c e s s f u l a n d c a n b e f i n a n c i a l l ysustainable as w ell, i t w il l go a long w ay
M ember states of the European Union
didratif y the Kyoto Protocol, w hich gave astrong message to countries in t he Pacificthat t hey are commit ted to addressing theproblems of global w arming. In the Pacific,
the island countries themselves, assistedby developed countries, appear to beleading the way in reducing their owngreenhouse emiss ions th rough the
increasing use of renew able energy.But renewable energy projects are
expensive. Some energy experts see animbalance when developed countries,
wh ich a re the ma in con t r i bu to rs t ogreenhouse emissions, push sustainableenergy projects upon island countries,which are perhaps the least contributors
to this pollution.
Anare MatakaivitiThe fact remains that
renewable energy technologies
are capital intensive, and
most of the small economies
in the region cant reallyafford them. Asking them to
use renewable energy to
develop their small economies,
in a lot of ways, I think is
unfair.
Climate change experts now see thatreducing emissions wil l not solve the
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Renew able energy could be the great
hope for the Paci f i c Is lands. Thesec o u n t r i e s h a v e l i t t l e i n d u s t r y , f e wcommerc ia l l y v iab le resou rces andpopulations that for the most part
are stil l struggling w ith raising the levelof development in t heir countries.
Greater reliance on renew able energyw o u l d l o w e r t h e re l i a n c e o f i s l a n d
countries on expensive fossil fuels forgenerating electricit y. These renew ableenergy sources would also help keepisland environments cleaner and less
polluted.B u t t h i s w i l l b e a c h a l l e n g e , a
cha l l enge to deve lop cos t -e f f i c ien trenewable energy models that produce
c h e a p , r e l i a b l e e n e r g y w i t h m i n o renvironmental impact. Another challengewill be to convince decision makers inisland countries to put precious financial
r e s o u rc e s i n t o d e v e l o p i n g t h e s erenew able energy projects.
Finally, it w ill be a challenge to raisethe awareness of the general public in
i s l a n d c o u n t r i e s t o s u p p o r t t h ed e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e s e r e n e w a b l eprojects. Only then can renew able energytrul y be considered a ray of hope f or the
Pacific.
tow ards gathering support for these new
energy sources.Once polit icians and decision makers
see and understand the importance ofre n e w a b l e e n e rg y a s a me a n s o f
improving national development, the nextstep is to integrate this understandinginto national poli cy.
Suliana Siwatibau Foundation forPeoples of the South Pacific (FSP)
If each of our countries makes
a statement, makes a policy
that looks at how far we can go
with renewable energy in the
next three years to fi ve years,
then we can do it.
Robert GuildAs more of us understand
energy as a fundamental
building block of economic
development, i t becomes a
bigger part of national
decision making to put local
resources into energy
development.
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31Discussion Points1) How can small-scale hydro projects,
like those in Bukuya, work in other
Pacifi c island countries?
2) W hy is i t important to involve rural
w omen in discussions on renew able
energy projects?
3) W hy do you think some landowners
disrupt renewable energy projects
that actually benefit them?
Marlene Kalmet PREFACERenewable energy is a way forus to be able to use what we
have indigenous resources
of energy we have in the
region.
Suliana SiwatibauI think one of the mostimportant ways in which we
could address the increase in
greenhouse gases is to go for
renewable energy, as much as we
can, and as quickly as we can.
Thomas Jensen UNDPIt will improve the
environmental conditions, i t
will improve the economies, it
will increase energy securi ty,
make them more energy self-
sufficient and become part of
the path to sustainable
development.
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GLOSSARYBio-gas A renew able energy source that uses methane gas produced from
biologi cal sources such as pig manure.
Biomass A renew able energy source that includes firew ood, w ood chips,leaves and manure.
Fossil Fuel An energy source that consists of hydrocarbons from li ving mat ter.
Examples are petrol eum, propane and met hane.
Global Warming The gradual w arming of t he Earths atm osphere as a result of t heGreen house effect .
Green House Effect The atmospheric effect of solar radiation entering and heatingthe atmosphere. This heat is not lost due to the ef fect of
greenhouse gases in t he atm osphere. The holes i n the ozone layer,caused by chl orofl uorocarbons (CFCs), are al so a concern because
they let i n more ultra-viol et rays, raising the risk of cancer.Green House Gases The main ones are carbon dioxide, met hane and propane. Carbon
dioxide is produced from combustion w hile methane is producedfrom decomposit ion. These contri bute to the green house eff ect.
Hybrid Energy derived from m ore than one renew able source, such as acombination of w ind pow er and solar.
Hydro Electric An energy source that uses the pressure of w ater fal l ing to t urn
turbines and generate electricity.OTEC Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion: a process that converts the
heat stored in the ocean int o electricit y. This process uses the
oceans natural tem perature gradient t o drive a turbine, generating
electricity. It w orks l ike a refrigerator in reverse.
Photovoltaic Literally l ight electricity; refers to the mechanical equipmentw hich converts sunlight int o electricit y, such as photovoltaic solar
panels.
Renewable Energy Energy from t he sun, and it s derivati ves, such as w ind, rain andfrom t he moon, tidal energy.
Solar Power Energy source w hich converts sunlight i nto electri city. Solar pow eris also used to refer to renewable energy as a w hole.
Thermal Energy A natural energy source found in geothermal areas such as hotsprings, etc..
W E A th t th f d b