Renewable energy in the Pacific Islands: Its role and status
Date
2018
Authors
Weir, Tony
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
The small island developing states of the Pacific suffer from both the high cost of fossil fuel imports and from numerous climate-related disasters. These vulnerabilities will worsen unless there is a substantial global shift
away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy (RE) sources, coupled with significant improvements in energy efficiency. Apart from traditional biomass-fuelled cooking, the most substantial uses of RE in the Pacific in 2016 were hydropower in some of the hillier island countries and the thousands of household photovoltaic (PV) systems in the remoter parts of island countries. This paper considers also the prospects for grid PV, geothermal, and biofuels – all of which have good technical potential in at least some islands. Barriers to wider use of RE in the region are mostly institutional and financial, but also include opportunity costs, environmental factors, and the limited skills base in small island states. The paper examines the mixed progress since the 1990s towards overcoming these barriers. The Fiji Electricity Authority has a reasonably realistic plan to have 81% of its supply from RE by 2020, drawing on hydropower (~ 50% in 2015), biomass (including bagasse), and some solar and wind. Tonga has its Renewable Energy Roadmap with clear milestones. Several other Pacific Island countries have ambitious RE targets but some are rather vague about how they are to be achieved.
Description
Keywords
Renewable energy, Pacific Islands, Solar electricity, Small island developing states, Barriers, Targets
Citation
Collections
Source
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Entity type
Access Statement
License Rights
DOI
10.1016/j.rser.2018.05.069
Restricted until
2037-12-31