Page 32 - IB November 2024

Renewable Energy Renewable Energy

TUVALU FLOATS CLEAN ENERGY OPTION

By Netani Rika of batteries used in this essential project. The last thing
islanders want is for those batteries to cause harm at the end
At the end of Funafuti International Airport’s runway 21, a of their life cycle.
small roadway juts into the lagoon, making a path towards a “How to maintain that project so that even after the
pontoon of floating solar panels. implementation period, our communities can benefit from the
About 2% of the atoll’s annual power needs will be results for the next 10-20 years,” Talia said.
harnessed with this clean energy solution funded by the Asian Under the Tuvalu National Energy Policy, this independent
Development Bank. nation of nine coral atolls has tried to define and direct
This initiative means that the sea which threatens Tuvalu’s current and future energy development and use. A national
existence has become a platform which will reduce reliance response to climate change through more efficient energy use
on fossil fuels which are a major contributor to global is one of the drivers of the shift towards clean energy.
warming. Saltwater intrusion and rising sea levels have threatened
The AU$6million project consists of 184 x 545Watt solar planting areas, homes, water supply and the national airport.
panels with a solar floating mounting system and generates Surging global oil prices and the cost of transporting fuel
174.2MWh of electricity each year. Similar projects have been over the Pacific Ocean to this remote country have caused a
implemented on the atolls of Nui, Nukufetau, and Nukulaelae. renewed urgency in the search for clean energy options.
Tuvaluan Climate Change Minister, Dr Maina Talia, said The floating solar panels will reduce fuel use by 47,100
project design such as this initiative was critical for a country litres of fuel per annum and put the country on the path
on the front line of the fight against climate change. towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2030.
“Sustainability has always been an issue that I see here in According to Talia, partnerships in the area of renewable
Tuvalu and this is something that we should always take into energy will help Tuvalu “build resilience and serve as an
account in terms of project design and implementation,’’ he example for other vulnerable nations facing climate
said. change.’’
On a small atoll, there will be questions about the disposal

32 Islands Business, November 2024