8 July, Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Samoa has led the way in accessing the range of available funds to help the country achieve their renewable energy targets of 30% by the year 2030.
A 2006 census in Samoa shows 97% of the population use electricity, the plans to reduce the reliance on electricity generated from fossil fuel will help strengthen the energy security in Samoa.
Solar Panels in Apolima
© W. Young
"This will help alleviate our reliance on imported fuel, it will be much cheaper and we'll be utilising more local resources, it will help make electricity affordable and will reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses from transportation and electricity. The less fuel we use, the better," said the Renewable Energy Officer of Samoa, Mr. Wairarapa Young.
The Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project (PIGGAREP) is a USD 5.23 million dollar initiative to help 11 Pacific island countries overcome barriers to using effective renewable energy technologies, including Samoa.
The project is executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.
The renewable energy plans of Samoa have received support from PIGGAREP, partly funding a hydro monitoring and data collection project carried out by the Electrical Power Corporation (EPC). This baseline data collection has assisted with the next stage, the feasibility study.
"I think Samoa's implementation of the PIGGAREP has been very successful," said Sili'a Kilepoa Ualesi, the Project Manager.
"We are very happy to see the projects underway in Samoa and look forward to the benefits that will come from renewable energy."
Other activities carried out in Samoa with assistance from PIGGAREP will help data collection and resource assessment for wind energy. Two wind monitoring systems were purchased with one installed on Upolu and another on Savaii these will collect data for at least 12 months to assist with the next stage – a feasibility study. This activity is done in partnership with UNDP and SOPAC.
More recently Samoa has been the first country to access the Pacific Environment Community Fund, which is administered by the Forum Secretariat. It's a commitment by the Government of Japan of ¥6.8 billion (approx US$66 million) to support Forum Island Country projects with a focus on the provision of solar power generation systems and sea water desalination plants, or a combination of both.
"These funds were approved to install a 400 kilo watt solar PV grid connected system for electricity supply, PIGGAREP is supporting the feasibility study for this. It will mean that 400 kilo watts of power supply will come from renewable energy sources," said Young.
"It will further reduce fossil fuel use in electricity generation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."