Rays of hope.pdf

7/28/2019 Rays of hope.pdf

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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.


32/33

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..

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