Upload
epurice5022
View
224
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
1/55
International Renewable Energy Agency
IRENA
Pacifc Lighthouses
Renewable Energy Roadmapping for IslandsRep
ort
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
2/55
DisclaimerThe designations employed and the presentation o materials herein do not imply the expression o any opinionwhatsoever on the part o the International Renewable Energy Agency concerning the legal status o any country,territory, city or area, or concerning their authorities or the delimitation o their rontiers or boundaries.
Copyright IRENA 2013
Unless otherwise indicated, material in this publication may be used reely, shared or reprinted, so long as IRENA is
acknowledged as the source.
About IRENA
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their
transition to a sustainable energy uture, and serves as the principal platorm or international cooperation, a centre o excel-
lence, and a repository o policy, technology, resource and fnancial knowledge on renewable energy. IRENA promotes the
widespread adoption and sustainable use o all orms o renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower,
ocean, solar and wind energy in the pursuit o sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon eco-
nomic growth and prosperity.
www.irena.org
AcknowledgementsThe collection o data or the preparation o this report was led by Herb Wade (Consultant). The report beneftted rom very
valuable comments rom Solomone Fifta (Secretariat o the Pacifc Community), Thomas Jenson (Energy Adviser, UNDP),
Peter Johnston (Consultant), Atul Raturi (Head o Engineering, University o the South Pacifc), John Rounds (Deputy Direc-
tor, Secretariat o the Pacifc Community), Silia Kilepoa Ualesi (PIGGAREP Project Manager, Secretariat o the Pacifc RegionalEnvironment Programme) and John van Brink (CEO, Tonga Power Ltd). Their constructive eedback enriched the report and
is grateully acknowledged.
Authors: Linus Moor (IRENA), Mirei Isaka (IRENA), Herb Wade (Consultant) and Apisake Soakai (Consultant)
For urther inormation or to provide eedback, please contact: Linus Moor, IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre.
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].
http://macintosh%20hd/Users/dieters/Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/de_DE/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://macintosh%20hd/Users/dieters/Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/de_DE/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://macintosh%20hd/Users/dieters/Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/de_DE/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://macintosh%20hd/Users/dieters/Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/de_DE/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdf7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
3/55
August 2013
Pacifc LighthousesRenewable Energy Roadmapping for Islands
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
4/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is landsI I
Pacic islands are endowed with a rich variety o renew-
able energy resources, providing a viable and attractive
alternative to ossil uel imports. Globally, as deploy-
ment rises and manuacturing costs all, the economic
equation increasingly avours renewable energy tech-
nologies. This is particularly true or the Pacic region,
which has already taken signicant steps to alleviate its
dependence on ossil uels, which entail a volatile global
market as well as high costs or local distribution.
In January 2012, the International Renewable EnergyAgency (IRENA) hosted a Pacic Leaders Forum in Abu
Dhabi. In the resulting Abu Dhabi Communiqu, leaders
rom 11 Pacic Island Countries and Territories called
on IRENA to work jointly on establishing an enabling
environment or renewable energy deployment in the
region. They asked or this work to be integrated into
a roadmap or accelerated renewable energy uptake in
the Pacic.
Since that time, IRENA has worked closely with a wide
range o stakeholders in the Pacic, including gov-
ernments, utilities, the Pacic Power Association, the
Secretariat o the Pacic Community, North-REP, theSustainable Energy Industry Association o the Pacic
Islands and others, to identiy gaps and produce innova-
tive, practical and island-specic solutions.
IRENAs multi-aceted work in the region is reected
in Pacic Lighthouses: Renewable Energy Roadmap-
ping or Islands. The main report, intended to provide a
ramework or urther action, is supported by 15 reports
on specic islands and a document detailing hybrid
power systems or the Pacic. Together, these reports
identiy key concepts, challenges and best practices
or the accelerated uptake o renewable energy in the
region. The aim is to provide island governments and,
indeed, all stakeholders, with baseline inormation to
assist in the development o local renewable energydeployment roadmaps, as well as strengthening the
implementation o regional initiatives.
I trust this publication will prove useul to countries and
territories with action plans in place, to those still ormu-
lating national roadmaps, and to the various develop-
ment partners working to promote clean energy solu-
tions and sustainability in the region. As our world works
towards a uture based on clean, secure and aordable
energy services or all, the Pacic Island Countries and
Territories have the opportunity to become beacons
o condence that can help chart the course or other
island regions and beyond.
Adnan Z. Amin
Director-General, IRENA
Foreword
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
5/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands I I I
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword II
Acronyms V
Summary VI
1 Introduction and context 1
2 The rationale or renewables in the Pacifc Islands region 3
2.1 Fossil-uel dependence ..........................................................................................................................................3
2.2 The impact o climate conditions .......................................................................................................................3
2.3 Renewable energy can be a cost competitive alternative ..........................................................................3
2.4 Barriers to renewable energy uptake in the Pacic Islands ......................................................................4
2.5 The need or a regional and national ramework or renewable energy uptake ....................................5
3 Energy landscape in the Pacifc Islands region 7
3.1 General characteristics o Pacic islands ..........................................................................................................7
3.2 Energy use in the Pacic region .........................................................................................................................7
3.3 Use o renewable energy .................................................................................................................................... 18
3.4 Energy policy rameworks ................................................................................................................................. 18
4 Renewable energy resource potential in the Pacifc Islands region 20
4.1 Abundant technical and economic renewable energy resource potentials ........................................20
4.2 Renewable energy costs and maintenance requirements .......................................................................23
5 Comprehensive power systems planning approach 28
5.1 Renewable energy resource data collection ................................................................................................. 28
5.2 Renewable energy integration ......................................................................................................................... 28
5.3 Grid modelling and verication .......................................................................................................................29
5.4 Energy efciency .................................................................................................................................................29
5.5 Selecting partners with relevant experience ...............................................................................................29
5.6 Robust implementation guidelines and measurable goals .....................................................................30
6 Renewable energy or the transportation sector in the Pacifc Islands 31
6.1 Overview...................................................................................................................................................................31
6.2 Enhancing opportunities or renewables or transportation in the Pacic Islands .......................... 32
7 Challenges in implementing renewable energy systems in the Pacifc Islands 34
7.1 Solar, wind and wave energy ............................................................................................................................. 34
7.2All renewable energy technologies .................................................................................................................35
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
6/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is landsIV
8 IRENAs activities in the Pacifc Islands 36
8.1 Country studies .....................................................................................................................................................36
8.2 Assessment o grid stability ............................................................................................................................. 37
8.3 Hybrid power systems ........................................................................................................................................ 37
8.4 Electricity storage and renewables or island power ................................................................................38
8.5 Ocean energy ........................................................................................................................................................38
8.6 REMAP 2030: Assisting energy planning in islands roadmaps in the Pacic ...................................38
8.7 Renewables Readiness Assessment ............................................................................................................... 38
8.8 Establishment o the Global Renewable Energy Islands Network (GREIN) .......................................39
8.9 Capacity-building initiative ...............................................................................................................................39
8.10 IRENA Global Atlas ............................................................................................................................................39
8.11 IRENA Renewable Energy Country Proles or the Pacic ..................................................................... 39
8.12 Policy challenges or renewable energy deployment in the Pacic Islands .....................................39
8.13 Harmonisation o RE standards......................................................................................................................40
8.14 Assessment o RE technologies suitable or the Pacic .........................................................................40
8.15 Assessment o the use o more renewable energy in the transportation sector ............................40
8.16 IRENA Abu Dhabi Fund or Development project acility ......................................................................40
9 Conclusion:
Key priority actions or enhanced renewable energy deployment
in the Pacifc Islands and possible IRENA roles 41
Reerences 44
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
7/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands V
Acronyms
CROP Council o Regional Organisations in the Pacic
FAESP Framework or Action on Energy in the Pacic
GHG Greenhouse Gas
GIZ German Agency or International Cooperation(Gesellschat r Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
IPESP Implementation Plan or Energy Security in the Pacic
IPP Independent Power Producer
GREIN Global Renewable Energy Islands Network
PICTs Pacic Island Countries and Territories
PPA Pacic Power Association
RE Renewable Energy
REMAP Global Renewable Energy Roadmap to 2030
RRA Renewables Readiness Assessment
SE4ALL The United Nations Sustainable Energy or All Initiative
SHS Solar Home System
SIDS Small Island Developing States
SPC Secretariat o the Pacic Community
PIGGAREP Pacic Island Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
8/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is landsVI
Summary
The Abu Dhabi Communiqu, issued by leaders rom
11 Pacic Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) in
January 2012, called or assistance to the region with
assessing renewable energy readiness, ascertaining op-
portunities, identiying pathways to close gaps and
integrating all activities to promote renewable energy
in the region into a single, coherent roadmap. The Inter-
national Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) responded
by carrying out a wide range o activities o specic
relevance and application to the region in close col-
laboration with existing regional organisations and keystakeholders.
This Pacifc Lighthouses report, along with 15 reports on
specic islands and another on hybrid power systems
or the Pacic that are attached to it, aims to support
various local and regional initiatives on renewable en-
ergy (RE) roadmaps by: (i) identiying the key concepts,
challenges and best practices needed to increase the
uptake o renewables in the region in an integrated
and cost eective way; (ii) providing the countries and,
indeed, all stakeholders, with baseline inormation; and
(iii) highlighting areas o support rom IRENA to nation-
al and regional initiatives aimed at promoting enhanceddeployment o renewables in the region. The report also
highlights best practices and lessons rom the transition
to RE in some PICTs that could benet other islands and
regions.
The key messages arising rom this report are the ol-
lowing:
(i) Although the Pacic Islands region is varied in
terms o its RE resource distribution, solar pho-
tovoltaic (PV), bioenergy and, to a lesser extent,
wind energy are the RE technologies with the
greatest technical and economic potential ornear-term deployment in the region.
(ii) An integrated approach promoting balanced im-
plementation with a strong emphasis on both
RE and energy efciency, and incorporating,
among other measures, detailed resource, land
availability, grid, energy storage and capacity
development assessments is required to arrive
at the optimal solution in terms o easibility, cost,
social acceptance and phasing.
(iii) Due to the variability o solar PV and wind power,
integrating into diesel generator-based power
systems requires the use o a variety o enablingtechnologies.
(iv) The spatial constraints o islands requires that
or successul large-scale deployment o RE, the
energy, water and land-use nexus must be as-
sessed careully with stakeholder involvement in
the planning process.
(v) The current dominance o development assis-
tance nancing or RE projects in the developing
economies o the Pacic Islands region limits the
opportunities to enhance investor condence
through demonstration o the commercial at-
tractiveness o existing projects.(vi) An enabling regulatory environment is needed to
attract private sector investments in renewable
energy deployment in the region.
(vii) Islands need to improve their collaboration or
example on common legal tools, training and
regulations to create economies o scale.
(viii) In the medium and long term, RE-based power
solutions would be the most sustainable and cost-
eective solutions or Pacic Islands communi-
ties. In the transition to that stage, RE and diesel
hybrid systems with high levels o RE integration
and energy efciency measures can play a keyrole in the energy supply or island communities
and are, indeed, a viable option or the PICTs.
(ix) The many partners, one team approach needs
to be put into practice through increased coordi-
nation between development partners, donors,
regional institutions and national authorities and
institutions.
(x) RE-based transport options (such as electric cars
and sustainable biouels) can directly benet
island power-generation systems. As such, RE-
based transport systems should be an important
consideration in the long-term planning o the
PICTs.
In line with the regional vision o the Framework or
Action on Energy Security in the Pacic (FAESP), along
with national targets and policies, the ollowing key ac-
tions are recommended to accelerate the transition to a
renewables-based energy uture or the PICTs:
Strengthen institutional rameworks in the en-
ergy sector: In many cases renewables transition
planning takes place outside the group o energy
ministries and utilities. Such an approach should
be avoided as it reduces the chances o successsignicantly.
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
9/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands VI I
Strengthen cooperation between the Pacic
Power Association (PPA), Secretariat o the Pa-
cic Community (SPC) and University o the
South Pacic to develop a critical mass or transi-
tion planning or the Pacic Islands.
Strengthen strategic energy planning, combining
RE deployment with energy efciency promotionand implementation.
Strengthen policy and regulatory rameworks as
the essential enabler or enhanced RE deploy-
ment.
Strengthen the collection and management o
energy data. This will assist in the development
o robust energy inormation, notably or the
transport sector.
Assess the cost o RE solutions or island com-
munities and provide inormation on technology
availability and options.
Assess and monitor RE resource potential. RE
potential varies widely across PICTs, thereby
necessitating the need or regional and island-
specic RE strategies.
Assess grid stability or high shares o RE inte-
gration. It will be important to consider careul
design and deployment o hybrid dieselrenew-
able systems with high shares o renewables in
the immediate term. This requires modelling and
assessment o grids or dierent levels o RE pen-
etration, supported by a step-by-step approach
to realise the transition to renewables.
Harmonise technical standards or implementa-
tion o RE technologies: This should acilitateeective system operation with reduced ailure
o components. With most RE projects in the
PICTs arising rom development assistance, a
wide range o RE equipment o dierent makes
is being installed. This complicates operation and
maintenance greatly. An energy development ini-
tiative or Small Island Developing States (SIDS),
such as SIDS-DOCK, could help to overcome such
problems, provided unds are managed through
the unied programme and not cut into many
small projects with dierent decision makers.
Undertake capacity development or RE at vari-ous levels rom vocational education to training
or policy makers.
Coordinate various RE projects and nancing.
This and a database o best practice cases or
sharing o knowledge should acilitate an e-
cient and uniorm strategy or successul RE
deployment in the region.
Develop bankable renewable projects. The qual-
ity o project proposals needs to be improved
across the region. The IRENA Project Navigator
can help towards bankability o project propos-als. The act that virtually all renewable power
projects are unded rom grants or sot loans
endangers sustainability and is detrimental to the
development o the RE sector. For renewables
projects, more than or diesel generators, it is
critical that projects include a sustainable busi-
ness model where investment costs are readily
recuperated. This is particularly so i productive
uses or energy are prioritised in such models.
IRENAs work on islands expanded as o early 2013, with
the aim o accelerating the transition to renewable-based energy systems in other island regions. Mean-
while, the organisation continues its work on Pacic
Islands Countries and Territories in response to requests
rom its members. To this eect, IRENA is extending its
work on grid stability to cover 15 countries and territories
by 2015 and will also ocus on other grid-related tech-
nologies and enablers, including extension o previous
IRENA work on storage options or island power. Ocean
energy technologies provide a potential opportunity o
high impact in the deployment o renewables in island
regions. These technologies are still in the development
and early deployment stages. IRENA is working on eval-
uating the status o these technologies and their marketoutlook or deployment in the context o remote islands,
particularly with regards to ocean thermal energy con-
version (OTEC) or power generation, cooling and heat-
ing. In the subsequent work programmes, IRENA will
continue to work on areas o relevance and interest to
countries in the region as they mobilise eorts towards
achieving their various RE targets.
IRENAs Pacic Lighthouses set o reports aims to pro-
vide a better understanding o current energy condi-
tions in the Pacic Islands region and to acilitate the
continued assessment o challenges and opportunitiesor the deployment o RE in island environments. The
set also constitutes an IRENA input or the Third Inter-
national Conerence on Small Island Developing States
to be held in Samoa, 1-4 September 2014.
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
10/55
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
11/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 1
In the Abu Dhabi Communiqu on accelerating renew-
able energy uptake or the Pacic Islands, o 13 Janu-
ary 2012, leaders rom the Pacic Island Countries and
Territories (PICTs) requested the International Renew-
able Energy Agency (IRENA) to map the Renewable
Energy Readiness o the Pacic Island countries and
territories to ascertain the status o renewable energy
opportunities and identiy pathways to close gaps and
to integrate all IRENA activities in the region into a
coherent roadmap or the Pacic Islands. In response,
IRENA has carried out a wide range o activities o spe-cic relevance and application to the PICTs as well as
other Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This work
has now been integrated in this IRENA support docu-
ment or renewable energy roadmapping or islands
aimed at the accelerated uptake o renewables in the
Pacic Islands region.
A renewable energy deployment roadmap in itsel is
not sufcient to achieve an energy transition; yet it is
not just a report. It is a living document and entails a
process that requires regular monitoring and evalua-
tion o progress towards a set renewable energy target,
while adjusting to new circumstances. It clearly spells
out the present energy situation and renewables poten-
tial, and identies gaps and needs, analyses and evalu-
ates deployment strategies, puts in place action plans
or achieving the target, and allocates the resources
required to implement the plans. Finally, a roadmap
should provide valuable benchmarks or monitoring and
reviewing progress towards specied goals. Thereore,
a renewable energy deployment roadmap needs proac-
tive leadership at the highest level and wide stakeholder
engagement, supported by clearly dened roles and
responsibilities, time rames or action, a clear sense o
priorities or action and allocation o resources. Further-more, availability o skilled sta is essential in order to
develop and implement an RE roadmap that provides
the ramework or development partners (including
multilateral development nance institutions and bilat-
eral donors) and the private sector to provide the unds
needed or investment in bankable project proposals
with replicable and scalable business models.
Most PICTs have committed in policy statements to a
path that will bring them ever closer to breaking the ties
with ossil uels. A number o islands have already start-
ed substantial deployment o renewable energy, withsome countries having put in place ambitious targets o
up to 100% renewables in the energy mix. However, in
many cases, roadmaps laying out short, mid- and long-
term strategies to meet such targets are not sufciently
developed, or implementation has been inadequate.
The PICTs can become lighthouses in the transition to-
wards renewable energy, which is a core component o
sustainable development. Renewable energy roadmaps
or strategies and their associated implementation plan
can provide an important, ambitious and commitment-
driven mechanism or achieving the United NationsSustainable Energy or All (SE4ALL) initiative. IRENAs
REMAP 2030 is the global ramework or promoting a
doubling o the share o renewables in the global energy
mix by 2030 as one o three inter-related objectives o
the SE4ALL initiative. The PICTs renewable energy tran-
sition roadmaps will thereore contribute to the REMAP
objective and vice versa. IRENA is involved in the Tonga
Energy Roadmap (TERM) and, together with the Ger-
man Agency or International Cooperation (GIZ) and the
Secretariat o the Pacic Community (SPC), is assisting
Nauru in the development o its energy roadmap. As a
result o the Renewables Readiness Assessment (RRA)
conducted or Kiribati jointly by the Ministry o Public
Works, the utilities o Kiribati and IRENA, ve concrete
actions needed to enable the development and scale-
up o renewable energy in Kiribati have been identied;
their successul implementation would lead to the need
or a long-term roadmap through which the goal o be-
ing energy independent could be realised. Other parties,
such as the World Bank, also support roadmap devel-
opment elsewhere in the PICTs, including the recently-
completed Vanuatu National Energy Roadmap.
This document, in accordance with IRENAs renewable
energy roadmapping ramework or islands, ocuses onidentiying the key concepts, challenges and best prac-
tices needed to increase renewable energy uptake in
the PICTs. The report, together with the accompanying
island-specic study reports, is intended to provide PICT
members o IRENA and, indeed, all stakeholders, with
baseline inormation that could assist them in the de-
velopment o their national renewable energy deploy-
ment roadmaps or action plans, as well as contribute
to the implementation o regional initiatives such as the
Framework or Action on Energy Security in the Pacic
(FAESP) and its associated Implementation Plan or En-
ergy Security in the Pacic (IPESP). The data providedin the report and accompanying reports compliment
1. Introduction and context
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
12/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands2
and/or supplement those in other national and regional
studies, including the SPCs Country Energy Security
Indicator Proles1, the United Nations Economic and
Social Commission or Asia and the Pacic (ESCAP)
report on Pacic Perspectives on the Challenges to
Energy Security and the Sustainable Use o Energy2,
the Pacic Islands Renewable Energy Project (PIREP)3
,and the Pacic Power Association (PPA) benchmarking
reports, among others4.
In the ollowing sections, the report outlines the case
or increased renewable energy (RE) deployment in the
PICTs in the context o the existing energy landscape in
1 Available atwww.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/179-country-energy-security-indicator-proles-2009
2 See www.unescap.org/ape/preparatory-process/scm/Pacifc/documents/energy-security-nal.pd
3 www.sprep.org/Paciic-Islands-Greenhouse-Gas-Abatement-
through-Renewable-Energy-Project/pirep-documents4 www.ppa.org.j/publication-report/
the region and policy targets (Sections 2 and 3). It then
highlights RE resource potential or power generation
in the region, together with their operation and mainte-
nance requirements (Section 4). Section 5 presents the
importance o sustainable energy systems design, mod-
elling and planning as an integrated and comprehensive
approach towards the transition to a renewables-basedenergy uture in the Pacic region. Section 6 looks at
renewable opportunities or the transport sector in the
region. Section 7 highlights key barriers to increasing
the share o renewables in the energy mix o the PICTs.
Section 8 outlines key IRENA activities in the PICTs,
including the country studies and key messages arising
rom them. The report concludes with Section 9, which
summarises identied key actions needed to overcome
barriers to enhanced deployment o RE in the PICTs,
together with the possible roles or IRENA, working in
partnership with the PICTs, member states and develop-
ment partners, towards a renewables transition in thePacic islands region.
http://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/179-country-energy-security-indicator-profiles-2009http://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/179-country-energy-security-indicator-profiles-2009http://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.sprep.org/Pacific-Islands-Greenhouse-Gas-Abatement-through-Renewable-Energy-Project/pirep-documentshttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.sprep.org/Pacific-Islands-Greenhouse-Gas-Abatement-through-Renewable-Energy-Project/pirep-documentshttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.ppa.org.fj/publication-report/http://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.ppa.org.fj/publication-report/http://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.sprep.org/Pacific-Islands-Greenhouse-Gas-Abatement-through-Renewable-Energy-Project/pirep-documentshttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.sprep.org/Pacific-Islands-Greenhouse-Gas-Abatement-through-Renewable-Energy-Project/pirep-documentshttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/179-country-energy-security-indicator-profiles-2009http://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/179-country-energy-security-indicator-profiles-20097/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
13/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 3
Pacic islands ace a unique combination o geographic
and economic actors that pose a particular risk to their
energy security. More than 3,000 islands collectively
known as the PICTs5 are mostly spread over the west
o the Pacic Ocean. The islands are diverse and the
distances between them are large.
2.1 Fossil-uel dependence
The majority o the PICTs depend almost exclusively on
imported rened oil products to meet their power gen-
eration and transportation energy needs with most o the
islands located ar rom major oil rening and distribution
hubs and depending on complex and lengthy uel supply
chains. Fuel delivery logistics are oten urther compli-
cated by lack o modern port acilities in some islands,
requiring the use o smaller, specialised ships. The uel de-
mand o individual islands is small. The small geographic
size and economic resources o islands constrain uelstorage. Both actors reduce the purchasing power or
oil. As a result, the PICTs ace some o the worlds highest
uel costs and have greater exposure to price volatility
and supply disruptions. Furthermore, diesel-based power
generation is dominant in the region and is the most ex-
pensive orm o power or most situations in the region.
For example, in 2010 the regions utilities had consumer
electricity taris that averaged between USD 0.39 and
0.44/kWh or household (200 kWh/month) and com-
mercial (500 kWh/month) users6. For some islands the
tari exceeded USD 1.00/kWh. In act actual electricity
production costs are likely to be higher as many PICTs
provide subsidies (whether explicit or indirect) to protect
consumers rom the ull price o power generation.7
High energy costs, price volatility and risks to uel sup-
ply are o particular concern because most PICTs have
5 The PICTs reerred to in this document are: Cook Islands, Feder-
ated States o Micronesia, Republic o Fiji, Kiribati, Republic o theMarshall Islands, Republic o Nauru, Niue, Republic o Palau, Papua
New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kingdom o Tonga, Tokelau,
Tuvalu and the Republic o Vanuatu.
6 See, or example, the Pacifc Power Association Benchmark-
ing Report or 2011. Available at: www.ppa.org.j/wp-content/
uploads/2013/03/03-Benchmarking-Report-Dec-2011.pd7 Pacic Economic Monitor, Asian Development Bank, July 2010
small economies. The high cost o uel dominates the
trade decit or the region, driving up prices o ood and
other essential items and thus limiting investments in
education, inrastructure and other key services.
2.2 The impact o climate conditionsAs clearly demonstrated by various studies8, the PICTs
are particularly vulnerable to the impacts o climate
change and so ace a signicant threat rom rising ocean
levels (with some island having a maximum elevation o
less than ve metres above sea level), increased severity
and requency o storm activity and requent weather
disruptions. In this region unusual variability in the
magnitude and timing (seasonality) o rainall can aect
hydropower output and dam design, as well as the yield
o crops or biouels. Slight temperature changes can
aect the suitability o specic crops or biouels. Mod-
est changes in wind speed can signicantly aect wind
power output. Sea level rise can aect water tables and
salinity gradients, which has consequences or energy
needs related to water supply. Increased requency and
severity o cyclones could aect design considerations
or wind and solar power systems. High temperatures
and salinity require special attention to the durability
o technology solutions. Thereore the design o RE
systems or the PICTs needs to take into account the
specic climate conditions o the region.
2.3 Renewable energy can be a costcompetitive alternative
Successul widespread deployment o RE technologies
in the Pacic would increase energy and economic se-
curity by signicantly reducing or even eliminating the
8 See, or example, Australian Bureau o Meteorology and CSIRO,2011. Climate Change in the Pacic: Scientic Assessment and
New Research. Volume 1: Regional Overview. Volume 2: Coun-
try Reports. Available at: www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/
publications1.html; and also ADBs report on Climate Risk andAdaptation in the Electric Power Sector by Peter Johnston. Avail-
able at www.adb.org/publications/climate-risk-and-adaptation-electric-power-sector.
2. The rationale or renewablesin the Pacifc Islands region
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kr.htmlhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications1.htmlhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications1.htmlhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.adb.org/publications/climate-risk-and-adaptation-electric-power-sectorhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.adb.org/publications/climate-risk-and-adaptation-electric-power-sectorhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.adb.org/publications/climate-risk-and-adaptation-electric-power-sectorhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.adb.org/publications/climate-risk-and-adaptation-electric-power-sectorhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications1.htmlhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications1.htmlhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kr.html7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
14/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands4
dependence on imported oil. Several PICTs possess a
variety o abundant RE resources with high technical
potential that, given the high price o oil in the region,
could be economically easible and price competitive
with ossil uel-based energy supplies. Integrating high
levels o RE technologies into the existing power sys-
tems will require a highly skilled workorce and whilethis is a challenge it also opens the opportunity or
creating local, high-wage jobs. High levels o RE would
alter island marketplaces with new technologies and
services, creating local entrepreneurship opportunities.
Notwithstanding the important and pressing drive to
address the sustainable energy needs o island com-
munities with tried and tested renewable energy tech-
nologies, it is equally crucial to note that islands present
unique challenges and opportunities or the deployment
o RE in general. Islands can be lighthouses or beacons
or the early commercialisation phases o RE tech-nologies through collaborative research, development
and demonstration (RD&D) that leads to enhanced
RE technology development and deployment suitable
or island conditions. However, this has to be based on
careully chosen and targeted deployment that can lead
to scale-up and replication potential in areas such as
the PICTs, while also considering the technical capacity
available locally or deployment, and the operation and
maintenance o such systems. Furthermore, the small
sizes o populations as well as power plants and grids
make it easier to widely deploy entire new energy sys-
tems based on renewables. Along with small scale, the
isolation o island power systems allows or meaningulanalysis o new technologies at varying levels o pen-
etration and investment, thereby allowing or a much
shorter eedback loop or corrective actions than would
be likely on large, interconnected mainland power grids.
In addition, the small physical scale o islands results
in comparatively short driving distances, thus making
electric vehicles (EV) an attractive transportation op-
tion or PICTs to consider, especially i electricity costs
can be substantially lowered and the batteries are not
charged rom ossil uel-powered systems but rom
renewable sources.
2.4 Barriers to renewable energy
uptake in the Pacifc Islands
While RE has the potential to greatly improve the ener-
gy security o the PICTs, there are signicant challenges
that need to be overcome. In the early stages, new and
unamiliar power generation and transportation systems
based on renewable resources could be seen as difcult
to design, operate and maintain in the PICTs, in com-parison to the established oil-based systems in place
today. However, the costs o renewable energy tech-
nologies are decreasing globally. This could contribute
to the potential or increased deployment o RE in the
PICTs. A properly designed system depends on detailed
knowledge o site specic RE resource availability; this
is lacking or limited on many islands. Furthermore, the
durability and successul operation o RE systems inisland environments depend very much on the appro-
priate selection o system components that are suitable
or the high temperatures, salinity and climatic vari-
ability ound in the Pacic Island region. There are also
specic stability issues to consider, with the integration
o increasing shares o variable renewables into diesel
generator-based grids. Specic skill sets are needed or
the proper operation and maintenance o systems that
address these issues and are oten ound to be lacking.
In some cases o donor-unded projects PICTs have little
input on equipment selection and project design, result-
ing in a high risk o ailure in operating and maintaining
the installed system. As a result o these issues, as well
as various management and business model limitations,
many o the past RE systems deployed in the PICTs have
not perormed according to expectations. However, as
RE systems have become increasing more common
recently and the support systems have improved, the
success rate o RE deployment has improved in more
recent years.
In addition to technical and human capacity issues, the
social, policy and economic environment on islands
can present barriers to RE uptake. Land tenure in the
PICTs is complex, with most land being communally
owned and having complex systems o access rights.
This actor, together with the small size o islands and
the existence o numerous cultural sites, can pose chal-
lenges to those RE systems that have signicant land
requirements. Thereore including all key stakeholders
in the planning process and building social acceptance
is essential to RE project success. Policy and regulatory
rameworks on many islands have been set up or cen-
tralised utilities that are usually vertically integrated and
state owned. These rameworks will likely require someadjustment to allow widespread RE deployment.
Finally, while it is important to nd commonalities
among the PICTs and develop recommendations that
are widely applicable across the region, it is critical to
note that the PICTs are extremely diverse in size, ge-
ography, population density, gross domestic product
(GDP), resource availability, access to unding and many
other key characteristics. These island specic charac-
teristics greatly aect RE resource availability and REproject implementation.
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
15/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 5
2.5 The need or a regional
and national ramework orrenewable energy uptake
The SPC, together with the Council o Regional Organi-
sations in the Pacic (CROP) agencies9
, PICTs, indus-try representatives and development partners, led the
development o A Framework or Action on Energy
Security in the Pacic (FAESP)10, which was endorsed
by leaders at the 41st Pacic Islands Forum in August
2010. The FAESP provides a regional ramework or im-
proved coordination and a whole-o-sector approach to
addressing the energy security challenges in the Pacic
region. It acknowledges that the national energy poli-
cies and plans must be the principle means or achieving
energy security in the Pacic. and outlines areas or
action to support the eorts o the PICTs to improve
their energy security. In terms o energy production and
supply FAESP identies RE as an important part o the
eorts to reduce dependence on ossil uels in the PICTs.
In order to achieve the energy security outcomes de-
ned in FAESP, a separate regional Implementation
Plan or Energy Security in the Pacic (IPESP) was also
developed, with the lead taken by the SPC in collabora-
9 CROP (Council o Regional Organisations in the Pacic) is a re-
gional organisation which is mandated to improve cooperation, co-
ordination, and collaboration among the various intergovernmental
regional organisations in the Pacic region to work together orachieving the common goal o sustainable development.
10 Available at www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/pacifc_region/686.pd
tion with the CROP, PICTs, industry representatives and
development partners. The IPESP is a 5-year plan rom
2010 to 2015, which aims to support the implementation
o FAESP reecting the priorities o the region. The work
o the Energy Programme o the SPC is guided by, and
reported under, the IPESP. The SPCs energy security
indicators (2009) or various PICTs are published un-der FAESP/IPESP11. The SPC is conducting a mid-term
review o IPESP that is planned or completion by De-
cember 2013. It is clear that regional solutions provide
the scale that would be attractive or private sector
investors to provide viable RE generation at a reduced
unit cost. The Pacic islands region clearly requires
strong support in terms o both engagement and im-
plementation capacity to realise the IPESP projects or
a sustainable energy development in the region. More
recently, a number o countries have developed national
energy roadmaps such as the Tonga Energy Roadmap
(TERM)12
, the Cook Islands Renewable Electricity Chart13
and Tuvalus Enetise Tutumau. Vanuatu and Nauru are
in the process o completing their roadmaps in 2013.
Kiribati has carried out a RRA. Other PICTs are reviewing
their energy policies and considering the development
o their own roadmaps. Table 1 gives a summary o
various regional energy programmes, national energy
roadmaps and key documents in the PICTs.
11 www.spc.int/edd/en/document-download/fnish/68-pacifc-ener-gy-advisory-group-meeting/813-session1-aespipesp
12 See, or example, www.tonga-energy.to/
13 http://cook-islands.gov.ck/docs/renewableenergy/Cook%20Is-
lands%20Renewable%20Energy%20Chart%20Final%20April%202012.pd
http://www.spc.int/edd/en/document-download/finish/68-pacific-energy-advisory-group-meeting/813-session1-faespipesphttp://www.spc.int/edd/en/document-download/finish/68-pacific-energy-advisory-group-meeting/813-session1-faespipesphttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.tonga-energy.to/http://cook-islands.gov.ck/docs/renewableenergy/Cook%20Islands%20Renewable%20Energy%20Chart%20Final%20April%202012.pdfhttp://cook-islands.gov.ck/docs/renewableenergy/Cook%20Islands%20Renewable%20Energy%20Chart%20Final%20April%202012.pdfhttp://cook-islands.gov.ck/docs/renewableenergy/Cook%20Islands%20Renewable%20Energy%20Chart%20Final%20April%202012.pdfhttp://cook-islands.gov.ck/docs/renewableenergy/Cook%20Islands%20Renewable%20Energy%20Chart%20Final%20April%202012.pdfhttp://cook-islands.gov.ck/docs/renewableenergy/Cook%20Islands%20Renewable%20Energy%20Chart%20Final%20April%202012.pdfhttp://cook-islands.gov.ck/docs/renewableenergy/Cook%20Islands%20Renewable%20Energy%20Chart%20Final%20April%202012.pdfhttp://uaeauhvpri01/UDrive$/nmacdonald/editing/IITC/Pacific%20files%20Aug%202013/www.tonga-energy.to/http://www.spc.int/edd/en/document-download/finish/68-pacific-energy-advisory-group-meeting/813-session1-faespipesphttp://www.spc.int/edd/en/document-download/finish/68-pacific-energy-advisory-group-meeting/813-session1-faespipesp7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
16/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands6
Table 1: Existing energy roadmaps, documents and programmes in the Pacic Island Countries and Territories
Pacifc Island Coun-
tries and Territories
Existing National Energy
Roadmap/Strategy Status Development partners
Cook Islands National Energy Policy 2003
Renewable Energy Chart 2011
Renewable Energy Chart Imple-
mentation Plan 2012
ADB, NZMFAT, EIB, PIFS, SPC, UNDP.
Fiji National Energy Policy 2006 Review is in progress andexpected to complete
by 2013.
GIZ, SPC UNDP, ADB, EIB, GIZ,IRENA, IUCN, PIFS, REEEP, WB.
Federal States o
Micronesia
Energy Policy 2010 ADB, EC, EIB, FSM, PIFS, SPC, UNDP
Kiribati Kiribati National Energy Policy
2009
RE target revised ollow-
ing IRENA RRA work-
shop.
EC, GIZ, IRENA, PIFS, UNDP, WB.
Republic o MarshallIslands
National Energy Policy and EnergyAction Plan 2009
Review to commenceduring second hal o
2013.
ADB, AusAID, EC, IUCN, JICA, PIFS,REEEP, UNDP, WB.
Nauru Nauru Energy Policy Framework,
2009 (NEPF)
Nauru Energy Roadmap
Review in progress and
expected to complete by
2013. Energy roadmap
currently under develop-ment.
AusAID, EC, GIZ, ADB, IRENA, IUCN,
UNDP.
Niue Niue Energy Policy and Action Plan
2005
EC, IUCN, PIFS, UNDP.
Palau Palau National Energy Policy, 2010 IUCN, EC, SPC, EIB, IRENA, JICA,
REEEP, SPC, UNDP, WB .
Papua New Guinea PNG National Energy Policy 2006 ADB, EIB, NZMFAT, UNDP, WB.
Samoa Samoa Energy Sector Plan 2012-
2016
ADB, AusAID, EIB, IUCN, NZMFAT,
PIFS, REEEP, UNDP.
Solomon Islands National Energy Policy Framework
2007
Review in progress. ADB, AusAID, EIB, IUCN, JICA, NZM-
FAT, PIFS, SPC, UNDP, WB.
Tokelau Tokelau National Energy Policyand Strategic Action Plan 2004
(NEPSAP)
Achieved approximately100% RE in 2013.
NZMFAT, UNDP.
Tonga Tonga Energy Roadmap 2010-2020(TERM)
Well advanced.
http://energy.gov.to/
ADB, AusAID, EC, EIB, GIZ, IRENA,IUCN, JICA, NZMFAT, PIFS, REEEP,
SPC, UAE, UNDP, WB.
Tuvalu Enetise Tutumau 2012-2020
(Master Plan or Renewable
Electricity and Energy Efciency in
Tuvalu)
EC, GIZ, IUCN, NZMFAT, UNDP
Vanuatu Vanuatu Energy Roadmap 2012(VERM)
Expected to be adoptedin 2013
AusAID, EIB, EU, GIZ, IUCN, JICA,NZMFAT, REEEF, UNDP, WB.
Where: ADB is Asian Development Bank; AusAID is the Australian Government Overseas Aid Program; EC is the European Commission; EIB is the
European Investment Bank; EU is the European Union; FSM is the Federated States o Micronesia; GIZ is the German International Cooperation
Agency Deutsche Gesellschat r Internationale Zusammenarbeit; IRENA is the International Renewable Energy Agency; IUCN is the International
Union or Conservation o Nature; JICA is the Japan International Cooperation Agency; NZMFAT is the New Zealand Ministry o Foreign Aairs and
Trade; PIFS is the Pacic Islands Forum Secretariat; REEEP is the Renewable Energy and Energy Efciency Partnership; SPC is the Secretariat othe Pacic Community; UAE is the United Arab Emirates; UNDP is the United Nations Development Programme; WB is the World Bank.
http://energy.gov.to/http://energy.gov.to/7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
17/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 7
3.1 General characteristicso Pacifc islands
Figure 1 illustrates the dispersion o the Pacic Island
Countries and Territories across the Pacic region.
IRENAs eorts to increase sustainable uptake o RE or
social, environmental and economic development in Pa-cic are ocused on 15 PICTs. The basic characteristics o
these PICTs as listed in Table 2, were collected rom the
CIA World Factbook, the PPA and island utilities.
3.2 Energy use in the Pacifc region
Transportation, power generation, and cooking domi-nate energy use in the Pacic. Industrial use o energy
3. Energy landscape in thePacifc Islands region
Source: Courtesy o the University o Texas Libraries, University o Texas at Austin, Texas, US.
The boundaries and names shown on this map do not imply ofcial acceptance or endorsement by the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Figure 1: Regional map o the Pacic Islands region
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
18/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands8
Table 2: PICTs land area, population, GDP and electricity access
Country
Landarea
(km2)
Population000 (2011
estimate2)
GDP percapita PPP
(USD)
Electricity
Access1 Comments
Cook Islands 240 17 10,300 100%
14 islands; 90% o people and 88% o land on 8 southern islands
(volcanic & raised coral). Northern islands mostly small atolls.
Population declining -3.2% per year.
Federated States
o Micronesia702 107 2,200 46%
607 islands varying rom mountainous to atolls spread over our
states extending 2500 km east-west & 1000 km north-south.
Population change o -0.3% per year.
Fiji 18,300 883 4,400 81%320 islands, populated. Largest two islands have 87% o land
& ~ 95% o population. Population growth 0.8% per year.
Kiribati 811 101 6,200 60%
32 widely scattered atolls in three groups plus one raised coral
island stretching 4200 km east-west & 2000 km north-south.
Population growth o 1.3% per year, urban increasing 1.9% per
year.
Marshall Islands 181 67 2,500 80%29 atolls (22 inhabited) and 5 raised coral islands (4 inhabited).No land higher than 5 m above sea level. Population growth o
2% per year; 72% o people in urban Majuro/Kwajalein.
Nauru 21 9.3 N/A 100%Single isolated equatorial island. Two plateaus with topsidepeak o 71 m, typically 30 m above bottom side. Populationgrowth o about 0.6% per year.
Niue 259 1.35,800(03)
100%
Reputedly the worlds largest raised coral island. Ree is close
to land and no lagoon. Land rises nearly vertically to perimeter
height o 25-40 m. Population stable with very slow decline.
Palau 458 21 9,300 98%
200+ islands, most very small and in a compact area, only 9are permanently inhabited; 95% o islands & 90% o population
within the main ree containing Babeldaob, Koror & Peleliu is-
lands. Estimated 0.4% growth rate per year.
Papua New
Guinea462,800 6,188 2,500 12%
600+ islands, with 80% o population in the eastern hal o the
island o New Guinea. Estimated population growth o 2% peryear.
Samoa 2,934 193 5,500 98%Volcanic islands o Savaii (58% o land & 24% o population)and Upolu (38% & 76% respectively) plus 8 small islands. Popu-
lation growth o 0.6% per year.
Solomon
Islands
28,450 572 2,900 ~10%
Nearly 1000 islands o which 350 are inhabited. 6 main islands
account or 80% o land area and bulk o population. Population
growth o 2.2%, urban growth 4.2% per year.
Tokelau 12 1.4 N/A 100%
Three atolls: Atau, Fakaoo and Nukunonu. Highest land about
5 m above sea level. Population changing very little. No urbanpopulation.
Tonga 748 106 6,100 ~90%
176 islands in 4 groups (Tongatapu, Haapai, Vavau & Niua) with
36 inhabited islands. Population growth estimated at 0.25% per
year.
Tuvalu 26 10.5 3,400 94%
6 atolls with large lagoons enclosed by a ree plus 3 raised coral
islands without large lagoons. Funauti with 22% o land hasabout 50% o population. Estimated annual growth rate 0.7%.
Vanuatu 12,200 225 5,100 28%
Over 80 islands, mostly volcanic, 65 populated. 80% o the pop-
ulation is on 7 islands. Population grew by 2.6% per year rom
1986-1996 but current rate is 1.3%.
Source: Updated to 2011 rom National PIREP reports (2004)
Note: km2 is kilometres square; km is kilometre; and m is metre.
~ is approximately
Per-Capita GDP is rom several sources and there are discrepancies between sources so gures should be considered indicative only
1 Includes rural electricity access through solar home systems
2 Source: 2012 CIA act book
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
19/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 9
is mostly limited to mining on a ew islands. More wide
spread are agricultural, orestry and sh based indus-
tries, almost all o which rely directly on electricity.
The traditional use o biomass or cooking remains the
largest component o overall energy use in rural areas
throughout the PICTs though its use is slowly declining
in avour o liqueed petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosenein the more urban areas. With the exception o some no-
table contributions rom hydropower in Fiji, Papua New
Guinea and Samoa, energy use in the Pacic is domi-
nated by imported oil. Excluding Papua New Guinea, the
lack o known local oil resources and rening capacity
in most PICTs means that rened oil products must be
imported over large distances.
Transportation sector
In the Pacic, transportation accounts or the highest
proportion o energy demand and uses mostly imported
rened oil products. A lack o available, accessible, up-
to-date and detailed data makes it difcult to determine
the exact split o uel usage between land, sea and air
transport. However it can be generally stated that land
transport is the largest sector and is dominated by a mix
o diesel and gasoline passenger cars and light com-
mercial vehicles. Sea and air transport play important
roles or the Pacic states with a wide dispersion o
populated islands. Generally sea transport is the larger
o the two with varying contributions rom inter-island
passenger and cargo services and shing eets. Local
air transportation is generally limit to a small number
o light aircrat but can be signicant on islands with
developed tourist industries (e.g. the Cook Islands, Fiji
and Vanuatu). It is by and large not practical to include
long distance shipping or ights as part o island uel
consumption since international companies that handle
their own uel purchases generally provide these ser-
vices and most reuelling takes place elsewhere.
At present cost, policy, technical and sociocultural bar-
riers impede a major shit in the transportation sectorrom ossil uels to RE. However, given that the transpor-
tation sector dominates Pacic island oil consumption,
it is essential that RE transportation options be thor-
oughly examined to determine when and how they can
be deployed on a large scale. Given the current barriers
to increased use o renewables in the transportation
sector, it is evident that increased shares o renewable
energy integration in the Pacic Islands region in the
near to medium-term would be achieved mainly rom
the power generation sector where integration o high
percentages o RE has been successully demonstrated
and is likely to have the greatest near term impact,together with demand side energy management, on
reducing oil dependence and greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions.
Power Sector
In 2010, electricity generation represented approxi-mately 25% o the Pacic Islands oil demand. A review
o the PPA 2011 Benchmarking Report revealed that
commercial and residential sectors comprise the bulk
o Pacic electricity demand. In 2010 these two sectors
accounted or 68% o regional electricity sales. This
gure is skewed by Papua New Guinea since or most
PICTs the commercial and residential sectors account
or an even higher percentage o electricity sales. The
split between the sectors varies rom island to island,
but the usage or both is primarily comprised o lighting,
cooking, consumer electronics, water production and
supply, and rerigeration and air-conditioning. Theseusages also dominate the 16% o regional electricity sale
to governments (mainly or air conditioning, lighting
and powering o ofce equipment). The tropical climate
in most o the Pacic limits heating demand. However,
tourist resorts and other acilities oten consume signi-
cant amounts o energy to heat water and or cooling.
Industry constitutes only 16% o regional electricity sales
and is limited to those islands with orestry, agricultural
and shery industries. Mining consumes large amounts
o electricity on a ew islands (mostly in Papua New
Guinea), but is typically provided by private onsite
generation.
The Pacic utilities are dominated by diesel generation
with only Tokelau, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa and
Vanuatu currently having more than 10% o electric-
ity production through RE. An overview o the current
characteristics o grid power system in the national utili-
ties is seen in Table 3.
In 2011 electricity prices in the PICTs ranged widely rom
USD 0.151.50 /kWh, depending on the islands. The
average (a combination o residential, commercial and
government taris) was around USD 0.35 /kWh. Most
o the island countries subsidise residential customersand several subsidise all electricity sales with very ew
even coming close to a ull cost recovery or electric-
ity deliveries. For utilities with a national tari, there is
considerable cross-subsidy rom the urban centres to
rural consumers (residential and others) on the grid.
This could aect the nancial viability o RE in smaller
rural centres. Generally, most governments are unaware
o the actual amount o the subsidy and so a clearer
accounting is needed to capture and assess these subsi-
dies. The actual cost o electricity delivery varies widely
rom place to place. Outer island electricity delivery cost
oten exceeds USD 1.00 per kWh and even higher orsmall grids.
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
20/55
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
21/55
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
22/55
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
23/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 13
Table 4 presents the results o a review o the electricity
generation systems o the 15 PICTs14. The total genera-
tion capacity or the 15 PICTs in 2012 is approximately
14 These data were compiled using key generation statistics rom the
CIA World Factbook, the PPA 2011 and 2012 Benchmarking Reportand data rom local utilities.
712 Megawatt (MW). In 2011 approximately 78% o the
power generation on these islands came rom genera-
tors uelled with diesel, heavy uel oil (HFO) or light uel
oil (LFO). The remaining 22% was primarily provided
by hydropower. Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tokelauare signicant outliers in terms o both total capacity
Table 4: Electricity generation statistics in 2010/2011
(Compiled rom the 2012 PPA Power Benchmarking Manual and eld survey)
PICTInstalled Capacity
(MW)Peak Demand1
(MW)Annual Generation
(MWh)
Cook Islands 10.36 4.9 27,763
FSM-Chuuk 2.0 4.0 9,768
FSM-Kosrae 1.5 1.1 6,504
FSM-Pohnpei 7.6 6.9 38,920
FSM-Yap 6.6 2.3 13,000
Fiji 211.2 139.6 835,169
Kiribati 5.5 5.3 21,641
Marshall Islands-Majuro 28 8.9 75,749
Marshall Islands-Ebeye 3.6 2.0 14,183Nauru 6.04 3.3 17,103
Niue 3.25 0.54 3,168
Palau 18.9 15.4 84,860
Papua New Guinea 2922 92.94 796,610 + 1,900,0003
Samoa 37.5 18.0 111,353
Solomon Islands 25.6 13.8 83,600
Tokelau4 0.927 0.20 34,000*
Tonga 15.3 7.7 52,609
Tuvalu 5.1 1.0 11,800
Vanuatu (UNELCO) 23.9 11.3 60,360
Vanuatu (VUI)5 4.1 1.71 3,350
Total 712 349 4,201,510
Where FSM is the Federated States o Micronesia
1: Peak demand main island nation grid only, excludes notable power systems on secondary/remote islands & private generation
2: Excludes substantial generation assets dedicated to private mining activities
3: First value: PNG public utility, second value: private mining operations
4. Based on Tokelaus new PV-based power system. The old diesel generators are now used as back-up or the PV system (see, or example, Issue 10 o the Pacifc Ener-giser (January 2013), available atwww.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/energy/198-pacic-energiser-issue-10, and also www.itpau.com.au/wp-content/
uploads/2013/05/TREP-case-study.pd. *The annual generation is estimated rom inverter-level data or May 2013.
5. From the Vanuatu Utilities Regulatory Authoritys 2011 perormance o Vanuatu Utilities & Inrastructure Ltd (VUI).
http://www.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/energy/198-pacific-energiser-issue-10http://www.itpau.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/TREP-case-study.pdfhttp://www.itpau.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/TREP-case-study.pdfhttp://www.itpau.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/TREP-case-study.pdfhttp://www.itpau.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/TREP-case-study.pdfhttp://www.spc.int/edd/en/section-01/energy-overview/energy/198-pacific-energiser-issue-107/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
24/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands14
and generation mix, with Tokelau having transitioned to
approximately 100% renewable power generation rom
solar PV. Omitting Papua New Guinea and Fiji, the total
generation capacity in the PICTs is roughly 175 MW and
consists mostly o diesel generators. Additionally, be-
cause many PICTs are composed o numerous islands,
the 175 MW o capacity is divided among many smallerpower plants most o which are on the main island
o each PICT. To determine the characteristics o these
individual power plants IRENA reviewed the Platts 2013
World Electric Power Plants (WEPP) database. The
database shows that the bulk o the regions generation
capacity consists o power plants o less than 10 MW
utilising several generators with capacities ranging rom
around 25 kilowatt (kW) to 10 MW (Table 5). Figure 2
shows a breakdown o the year-by-year and cumulative
installation o the diesel generator eet up to 2011. The
gure excludes Papua New Guinea and Fiji in order to
give a better representation o the typical conditions onthe smaller Pacic islands.
In the Pacic it is common or populations to be con-
centrated in urban areas on main islands with a single
power station supplying the communitys electricity.
Widespread high voltage transmission grids are uncom-
mon except in Nauru and Niue. The individual power sta-
tions usually have signicant overcapacity to increase
security o supply, although the extent o overcapacityestimated rom the Platts WEPP data can be misleading
or the PICTs, as many o the power generation systems
are in poor condition and signicantly de-rated.
The small and isolated nature o the majority o Pacic
diesel power plants is a particular concern or the in-
tegration o high levels o variable RE. Large intercon-
nected mainland grids usually have a wide variety o
generation assets they can draw on to balance out
variable RE power generation. Pacic grids, however,
are typically dependent on one or two diesel power sta-
tions, which are oten not inter-connected and will haveto augment their existing generation systems with new
Table 5: WEPP Pacic island operational diesel generator statistics (2013)
PICTsCapacity
(MW)Number o
Units
Unit Size (MW) Operational Year
Min Max Oldest Newest
Cook Islands 11.04 24 0.025 2.1 1990 2009
FS o Micronesia 35.09 36 0.027 3.2 1974 2012
Fiji 67.03 39 0.06 10.15 1953 2011
Kiribati 8.90 9 0.6 1.4 1994 2005
Marshall Islands 41.90 33 0.06 6.4 1982 2003
Nauru 4.00 5 0.8 2002 2005
Niue 1.68 4 0.421 no data
Palau 18.88 17 0.1 3.4 1997 2012
Papua New Guinea 141.34 28 0.14 15 2007 2011
Samoa 16.59 15 0.045 3.5 1979 2001
Solomon Islands 37.78 44 0.04 4.2 1971 2006
Tonga 14.44 19 0.056 1.729 1972 1998
Tokelau no data
Tuvalu 3.71 30 0.045 1 1982 2001
Vanuatu 15.46 14 0.1 4.23 1994 2010
Total 418 317
Where FS o Micronesia is the Federated States o Micronesia
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
25/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 15
technology to compensate or variable RE rom solar
and wind power sources without storage.
Another key concern is the advanced age o the diesel
generators in the region. The average genset in the
PICTs is around 20 years old. Figure 2 shows that the
last major deployment o generators occurred over tenyears ago. This means that many generators in the area
are approaching or have exceeded the manuacturers
recommended liespan. It should be noted that compi-
lation o the WEPP database does not always include
direct data verication or remote areas such as the
Pacic. Thereore, some o the older generators in Table
4 may no longer be in operation. However, inquiries with
the PPA identied generators that have been in continu-
ous use since the early 1980s.
The aged status o the many gensets in PICTs has sig-
nicant implications when considering high levels o REpenetration. Older units usually lack computer control
systems and are likely to have slower ramp rates ( i.e.
the rate at which the system can increase or decrease
its power output) and reduced uel efciencies when
compared to more modern diesels generators. A basic
review o diesel generator unction and the eects o RE
integration are given in one o the supporting studies
or this report, title Pacic Lighthouses: Hybrid powersystems. This case study sheds light on the particular
challenges posed by the small capacity, isolation and
advanced age o the Pacic islands diesel eet o elec-
tricity generation systems.
Energy or cooking
The traditional use o biomass or cooking remains the
largest component o overall energy use throughout
the PICTs, particularly in outer islands. However, there
are increasing shits to the use o liqueed petroleumgas (LPG) and kerosene on the main islands. The use
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Number&Capacity(MW)ofInstalledUnits
Year by Year Installation of Current Diesel Fleet (Excludes Fiji & PNG)
Number (Total: 253)
Capacity (Total: 208.72 MW)
Average Year of Installation: 1992
Average Age: 20 yearsAverage Unit Capacity: 0.868 MW
64 units: 10.98 MW of Capacity not shown
(no data on year of installtion)
Figure 2: Year-by-year installation o diesel feet o power generators in the PICTs up to 2011 (excludes Fiji & PNG).
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
26/55
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
27/55
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
28/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands18
o biogas or cooking has had varied experiences on a
number o islands.
3.3 Use o renewable energyHydropower provides a major contribution to electricity
generation in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. Pres-
ently there is generally limited use o biomass to oset
ossil uel consumption or power generation on islands
with orestry and agricultural processing acilities where
there is potential or use o biomass residues as eed-
stock or energy generation. PV systems, used primarily
or rural electrication, are spread across the region.
There are also a number o medium to large scale grid-
connected PV installations serving urban areas. Utility
scale wind arms are operational in Fiji and Vanuatu.
However, the vast bulk o power generation capacity is
based on internal combustion engine generators utilis-
ing imported diesel, HFO and LFO. Table 6 summarises
experiences with various renewable energy resourcesin the PICTs.
3.4 Energy policy rameworks
Since the uel price shocks o 2008 and the economic
difculties that were exacerbated as a result o it, gov-
Table 7: Renewable power goals o the Pacic Island Countries and Territories
Countries, Territories &Associated States
Renewable ElectricityGeneration
Renewable Electricity Targets(*Primary Energy)
Approximate% o Total % o Total Year
Cook Islands
7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
29/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 19
ernments and utilities have placed a higher priority on
increasing the use o renewable energy to generate
electricity in urban areas. Almost all the PICTs have
established policies and goals to increase their use o
renewable energy to generate power and to reduce
uel imports. Table 7 summarises RE generation targets
promulgated by the various PICTs.
The various renewable goals represent a clear political
commitment to RE power generation in the region. To
understand how widespread RE deployment can be
achieved in the Pacic it is critical to review the potential
o Pacic RE resources and determine which resources
can play a major role in island power generation.
With regard to a regional energy ramework, SPC, to-
gether with CROP agencies, PICTs, industry representa-
tives and development partners, led the development
o FAESP (that was approved by the regions leaders in
2011) aimed at achieving energy security in the Pacicislands region through a whole o sector and many
partners, one team approach that pools together e-
orts rom the PICTS and international and regional
stakeholders into a collaborative eort. The ramework
identies seven themes or action to achieve energy
security in the region, namely:
Leadership, governance, coordination and part-
nerships
Capacity development, planning, policy and reg-
ulatory rameworks
Energy production and supply (including renew-able energy)
Energy conversion
End-use energy consumption
Energy data and inormation; and
Financing, monitoring and evaluation.
Following the FAESP, the IPESP was developed and
adopted by Pacic Energy Ministers as a 5-year regional
implementation plans or the period 2011 2015 to real-
ise the goals o FAESP. The implementation plans out-
line regional activities, impacts indicators, timerame,
indicative costs and lead implementing partners or
each o the seven themes dened in the FAESP. Energy
Security Indicators under the broad heading o Energy
Access, Energy Aordability, Energy Efciency/Produc-
tivity and Environment Quality were adopted by Pacic
Energy Ministers to be used monitoring the impacts o
the FAESP. SPC has published the 2009 energy security
indicators as the baselines or the FAESP and its IPESP.
Increased deployment o RE in the region is highlighted
and the key priorities or actions include resource as-sessment, investment in RE, capacity development and
higher percentage o RE in the energy mix.
An IRENA study on Policy challenges or renewa-
ble energy deployment in Pacic island countries and
territories15 assessed the policy design and implemen-
tation or the successul deployment o RE in the region.
It encourages policy makers in the PICTs to support
the adoption o policy and regulatory rameworks to
establish enabling environments to attract investments
RE deployment.
15 The report is available on IRENA website:www.irena.org/ Publica-
tions
http://www.irena.org/Publicationshttp://www.irena.org/Publicationshttp://www.irena.org/Publicationshttp://www.irena.org/Publicationshttp://www.irena.org/Publications7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
30/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands20
Generally, solar energy is an economic resource every-
where in the Pacic. Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon
Islands and Vanuatu are the richest in geothermal, bio-
mass and hydro resources. Wind resources are widely
distributed, but tend to increase with distance away
rom the equator.
While there is abundant technical and economically
viable renewable resource potential in the Pacic, re-
newables still only contribute about 10% o the average
base load electricity generated, with the great majorityo that share coming rom hydropower in Fiji and Papua
New Guinea. Traditional biomass use or cooking al-
though slowly declining in avour o LPG and kerosene
still accounts or the largest share o overall energy use
in rural areas throughout the Pacic. Although biouel
opportunities are greatest in Fiji, Papua New Guinea,
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, almost all the PICTs have
the technical potential to develop coconut oil or biouel
because much o the land, even on atolls and raised
coral islands, is covered with coconut trees. However,
this may not be economically viable in all cases.
Biomass, geothermal and hydro energy are suitable orbase-load generation and can directly oset existing
diesel generators. Solar energy and wind energy are
also very important resources or reducing the amount
o uel used or power generation, but these resources
are variable, with power output varying according to
weather conditions. Thereore, in order to maintain
power quality on the grid, integration o high shares o
these resources typically requires spinning reserves or
advanced controls and energy storage that can instantly
pick up the load in case o clouds or calm winds.
4.1 Abundant technical and
economic renewable energyresource potentials
Solar power
Thus ar, solar energy has been the most commonly
used RE resource because it is available and cost-
eective virtually everywhere in the region. A solar PVsystem, i correctly designed, requires minimal mainte-
nance. All the islands have an excellent solar resource,
although it can vary signicantly rom one island to
another, and even among dierent parts o a relatively
small island, because o the cloud cover. IRENA is lead-
ing the development o a Global Atlas or Solar and
Wind Energy, which aims to assist planners by identiy-
ing the resource potentials o these resources, especially
in areas where existing eld data are limited. The tool
will support decision-making or RE deployment at
global, regional and national levels.
Wind power
The number o islands with reliable data and assess-
ment or an economic wind resource is limited. A ew
installations are operational e.g. in Fiji, Vanuatu, New
Caledonia and French Polynesia. However, the use o
wind turbines by Pacic Island utilities has been limited
as a result o the ollowing constraints:
Island states need to understand the local wind
regime sufciently to have the condence in the
economic soundness o a wind energy installa-tion. Wind energy is site-specic, and the only
way to be sure o the resource is to determine
where suitable sites probably are and then put
wind-measuring equipment on towers at those
sites.
Manuacturers o utility grade turbines have in-
creasingly ocused on larger and larger turbines
or the world market. Consequently, there are ew
production models within the 100 kW to 300 kW
range, which is the most appropriate or these
islands, currently being manuactured.
Tropical storms with winds in excess o 200 km/hour occur on most islands in the Pacic, which
requires storm-resistant wind turbines.
At the other extreme, drops in wind level neces-
sitate some type o spinning reserve to pick up
the load.
In many PICTs, wind is highly seasonal.
The presence o El Nio Southern Oscillation
adds complications. El Nio episodes involving
sustained warming o the central and eastern
tropical Pacic Ocean decrease the strength o
the Pacic trade winds, change the wind direc-
tion in some areas and aect the ormation,strength and paths o cyclones.
4. Renewable energy resourcepotential in the Pacifc Islands region
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_windshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_winds7/29/2019 Pacific Lighthouse Roadmapping
31/55
Pacif ic l ighthouses Renewable Energy Roadmapping for Is lands 21
Atoll islands have very little land, and conicts
over land ownership in most PICTs oten make it
very time consuming to negotiate access to land
or solar and wind arms.
The isolation o many islands, and their limited
port and road inrastructure, constrain the sizesand types o wind turbines that can be imported
and transported to site or installation. Available
cranes tend to be small and the inrastructure
network or logistical delivery o components on
site is limited
Hydropower
Economically easible hydro generation can be devel-
oped on mountainous islands that have high rainall andlarge enough areas or rainall collection to generate the
required volume and consistency o ow.
Fiji and Papua New Guinea have sufcient land area to
support large hydro installations. Papua New Guinea has
a huge potential or large hydropower, with a number
o studies ongoing or large hydropower development,
particularly rom the Paruri River. The proposed 1.8 GW
project on this river, i developed, would result in a
high export o electricity rom Papua New Guinea to
Australia16. The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu may be
large in total land area, but their individual islands aremostly not large, so or those islands hydro develop-
ment is necessarily limited to smaller-scale installations
useul mainly or community electrication in rural
areas. Samoa, with a hydropower installed capacity o
approximately 12 MW, has very good potential or small
hydropower.
Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
have many possibilities or developing small hydropow-
er stations with small impoundments that could serve as
pumped storage or solar. In this type o installation, a
solar power generator could be connected to pump the
water rom the outall o the hydro plant back into the
reservoir, making it available or use later. Cook Islands
also has potential or such pumped storage hydropower.
This is o particular interest or rural mini-grids where
the peak load is in the evening, several hours ater the
solar PV system has ceased to generate. There is obvi-
ously a loss o available energy in this approach because
o the conversion o electricity to pump the water and
then again in the conversion o water ow to electricity
in the hydropower generation phase.
16 See, or example, www.originenergy.com.au/fles/FactSheetPNGRenewableEnergyProject.pd
Coconut oil biouel
Most o the PICTs have some potential or producing co-
conut oil biouel. Coconuts grow well in the region and
are a traditional source o ood, bre and uel. Further,
the land under the coconut trees is not heavily shaded
and can be successully used or other crops. There are
many economic advantages to coconut oil as, at least,
a partial replacement or imported diesel uel. The most
obvious benet is that the money spent on coconut oil
supports local industry, creating local employment and
reducing oreign exchange expenditures on energy.
Other advantages include less environmental damage
rom uel spills, lower levels o air pollution, local control
over pricing and the existing amiliarity with the har-
vesting and processing o coconuts. Using a plant indig-
enous to the region ensures resistance to adverse local
conditions such as soil salinity and periodic droughts.
Pure coconut oil has been ound to work well as a re-placement or diesel uel with some types o engines
and not so well with others. Experiments in a number o
island countries indicate that adding up to about 15% o
properly ltered coconut oil to diesel uel has no obvi-
ous detrimental eect on the larger diesel engines used
or ships and power generation. Fiji now allows blend-
ing to 5% coconut oil with diesel uel to be sold without
restriction, as long as the customer is inormed that it is
a blend o coconut and diesel oils. Customers will need
time to gain condence in diesel-coconut oil blends, es-