Feasibility Study to increase access and affordability of clean-energy - A Case Study of Kioa Island, Fiji

Our mission for this early-stage project is to help solve the Ayrton Challenge priority area of leaving no one behind, ensuring the benefits of the clean energy revolution reach the poorest and most marginalised, including people in humanitarian contexts.

Our area of focus is the Pacific Island Countries. These Island nations are among the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, and ocean acidification pose significant threats to their ecosystems, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), small islands face unique and disproportionate risks, making them priority areas for climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

The Pacific island countries are particularly exposed to rising sea levels. For example, the Republic of Kiribati and Tuvalu have average elevations of just a few meters above sea level. According to the Pacific Climate Change Science Program, sea levels in the Pacific region are rising at a rate of approximately 7-10 mm per year, significantly faster than the global average.

This places coastal communities at risk of inundation, saltwater intrusion, and erosion, necessitating urgent action to mitigate and adapt to these challenges while also ensuring energy and food security.

Despite their vulnerability to climate change, many Pacific island countries still heavily rely on imported fossil fuels for their energy needs, resulting in high energy costs and carbon emissions. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), only about 15% of the Pacific islands' energy supply comes from renewable sources. Enhancing access to clean energy in these countries is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance energy security, and foster sustainable development.

The focus of this Feasibility Study will help to speed up access to affordable and clean energy by partnering and collaborating with communities, UN departments and micro-financing providers to explore clean-energy-generating productive use solutions for food production and processing and sustainable business models can optimally improve the socio-economic potential of communities, ensuring everybody gets to live a dignified and fulfilled life through access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy solutions_. (1)_

(1)Lal, R., & Kumar, S. (2022). Energy security assessment of small Pacific Island Countries -- Sustaining the call for renewable energy proliferation. _Energy Strategy Reviews_, _41_, 100866\. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2022.100866