Page 14 - Islands Business October 2022

Energy

Leaf Capital Fiji director Alex Reddaway (left) shows UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative Yemesrach Workie how to
charge an electric vehicle. Photo: Azaria Fareen.

EV CHARGERS MAY SPAWN

E-REVOLUTION

By Dionisia Tabureguci paying for itself,” said Reddaway, “in that we’ll use smart
DC chargers with a data cable that comes out of the bottom
The company behind Fiji’s first electric vehicle (EV) charg- and goes to a smart meter that’s at the main switch board.
ing infrastructure is optimistic that its transformative clean Then we’ll be putting solar panels at the top of the roof
energy project will also spill over to Fiji’s maritime transporta- supplying the building, and then we’ll allow the charger to
tion, with plans to produce scalable custom built chargers for use the amount that the building is now not using. So this
Fiji’s maritime areas, powering not only cars and buses but initiative will allow us to install chargers in places where
boats too. normally you’re not able to put fast chargers in it. Islands,
Leaf Capital Fiji, trading as Switch Network, launched Suva’s specifically. We can even charge boats with them, based on
first EV charger in Suva this month, in a bid to become the the solar panel, which currently, as EFL will tell you, is just
world’s first carbon negative charging network through an not possible. Unfortunately, these things need to be tested,
integration of solar and national grid power. you need expertise, you need to take a bit of risk, and that’s
Director Alex Reddaway said while the DC fast chargers are where grant schemes like BAGS come in and really make it all
now being rolled out on Viti Levu, there are power loading is- possible. Thanks to this, we’re going to be able to hire the
sues that make it difficult to install them in certain areas. experts to come tell us how to do it, do all the testing, power
“These smart DC charges supply direct current straight to logging, etc., to be able to prove to EFL that it works. Once
the battery of the vehicle and the problem with DC charges, they’re confident that it actually does, we can start rolling
as my friends from EFL will tell you, is that they hate spikes in them out nationwide,” said Reddaway.
consumption that ruin all of their infrastructure. What we’re This is envisioned to unlock clean, affordable and green
trying to do is find a way that we can install fast charging in energy to Fiji’s commuters, reducing both carbon footprint
coastal locations where transformer capacity is lacking and and costly dependence on fossil fuels.
where EFL just can’t cater for us,” Reddaway said. “Once we’ve got our systems in place, we’ll be going to
This has forced the company to come up with an alternative Vanua Levu, smaller islands where petrol is much more expen-
solution, with funding support from UNDP through its Blue Ac- sive and much more difficult to get and that has a much much
celerator Grant Scheme (BAGS). higher footprint. Places like Ovalau where we can run a bus
“We’ve found an alternative that we hope would start service around it on locally-produced energy, and charge them

14 Islands Business, October 2022