WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR FIJI? REDUCING EMISSIONS AND EMPOWERING CONSUMERS

The severe impacts of climate change and sea level rise is quite evident in Fiji with a number of low-lying villages already being forced to relocate and many others being made to relocate in the near future. In 2021, Fiji was ranked globally among the top 15 countries with the highest disaster risk, a situation that will worsen as climate impacts intensify. More than 675,000 Fijians or around 75% of the total population are coastal dwellers with total dependence on the coastline. This exposes them to the worst impacts of sea level rise causing coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into drinking water and frequent flooding at high tide.

In order to understand the impact of using ‘unclean’ energy, challenges present and the role of consumers, the Council interviewed Dr Atul Raturi, an Associate Professor at the University of the South Pacific and whose work involves teaching and researching in materials/devices/policies and community engagement for renewable energy development in the island countries and Mr Brian Park, the General Manager Administration at Nabou Green Energy Pte Ltd.

During the e-interview with Dr Raturi, he highlighted that Fiji’s grid-electricity sector needs to move beyond the traditional hydropower (which has served us very well) by expanding solar, biomass and other possible renewable technologies. Reducing over dependence on imported fossil fuels is imperative for energy security as evident from the recent supply chain issues.

“While Fiji produces a miniscule amount of GHGs, it has committed itself to be a champion for Climate Change mitigation efforts to keep the Paris agreement alive. Fiji’s NDC promises to reduce emissions by 30% through renewable electricity and energy efficiency. It has also submitted a long-term Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS). Besides the mitigation potential, clean energy provides a win-win solution in terms of its economic and other environment protection potential. Utility based solar PV is already the lowest cost electricity technology. Globally, renewables-based electricity is going to dominate new installations replacing fossil fuels in 2023-25,” said Dr Raturi.

He added along with the students, they have developed long term scenarios for Fiji based on possible renewable energy and energy efficiency intervention.

“We have shown that it is possible to achieve net zero by 2050, provided a significant amount of finance is available. We have also looked at the potential of solar PV for ongrid and off-grid applications in Fiji. Roof-top solar can be a major player in alleviating Fiji’s fossil fuel dependence while generating incomes for the consumers provided enabling policies are in place. We have also looked at the impact of standalone solar PV on the livelihoods of remote communities”

Dr Raturi has further stressed that consumers need to be encouraged to increasingly lean towards cleaner energy.

“Consumers should be made aware of the benefits (social, economic) of using clean energy. Solar hot water systems, efficient cook stoves, biogas systems are some simple and easily available technologies we should introduce without any delay. Off-grid solar in remote fishing communities can help store the catch for longer time while solar water pumps can replace diesel generators for boreholes. There are more than 10,000 solar home systems in Fiji, and we should stress for ‘energy for productive use’. Income generation using renewable energy should be the way forward which in turn attract private entrepreneurs in this space, Dr Raturi said.

Whilst highlighting the need for encouraging consumers, Dr Raturi has also stressed that there are challenges in existence which needs to be identified and addressed in order to ensure the uptake of clean energy options by consumers.

“In my opinion, awareness, initial financing support and enabling policies are the prime factors to make this transition possible. We have seen how kerosene/benzene lights have been replaced by solar lights in the last few years – consumers will spend money if they are aware of the long-term impacts of investing in clean energy. There are people who would like to install rooftop solar but are not sure how to go about it. Capacity building and training is another very important component. We need to have human capacity to develop, build and maintain clean energy systems”, he further added.

“It is possible to achieve net zero by 2030”; Dr Atul Raturi