BPP Partnership Impact Series: Expanding energy access in Solomon Islands
Since its launch, the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) has worked with ambitious partners to deliver meaningful, lasting change in communities across the world. The BPP Partnership Impact Series celebrates the outcomes and lessons from our partnerships, highlighting their contributions to inclusive economic growth, resilience and sustainable development.
Our Off-Grid Renewable Energy partnerships across the Pacific and Timor-Leste focused on sustainable, locally-led solutions that expand energy access for remote and rural communities, while delivering tangible social and economic benefits. They are pilots for REnew Pacific, the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific’s (AIFFP) $75 million investment to scale off-grid renewable energy across the region. This partnership combined a central solar-powered microgrid with distributed solar home systems in Malaita Province, to expand access to affordable energy and support household activities, student learning and income generation within the community.
Expanding energy access in Solomon Islands
The partnership between Superfly Limited, Mai-Ma’asina Green Belt (MMGB), Save the Children Solomon Islands and the Australian Government, through the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP), is expanding access to reliable, affordable renewable energy for remote communities in Malaita Province.
In communities where access to electricity has long been limited, this project piloted an innovative hub and spoke electrification model, combining a central solar-powered system with distributed household solutions to deliver energy where it is needed most.
A solar-powered microgrid now provides reliable energy for community services, while solar home systems are delivering power directly to households across surrounding communities.
Key highlights
Highlights from the BPP partnership included:
- More than 310 households with improved access to energy
- Around 750 people benefiting from community-level energy services
- Computer lab supporting daily student use for digital learning
- Cold storage enabling income generation for local fishers
Delivery snapshot
- 16.5 kW solar PV system installed
- ~80 kWh battery storage with microgrid distribution
- Solar-powered hub supporting community facilities and services
- Pay-as-you-go enabled solar home systems distributed to households
- Electric boat charging infrastructure installed
Reliable energy is now supporting essential services and economic activity within the community. At the hub, power is used to run a computer lab, refrigeration, and food processing equipment supporting new opportunities for education, food security and enterprise.
Students are accessing digital learning resources, with the computer lab used for up to six hours each day. Local fishers are using solar-powered freezers to store and sell fish to markets in Honiara, generating new and more stable income streams. Households are benefiting from lighting, device charging and productive appliances such as sewing machines.
Improved energy access is also supporting more inclusive community outcomes. Women are using powered sewing machines to support livelihoods, while dedicated freezer space is enabling women to store and sell produce. Community engagement and training have ensured that people with disabilities, women and youth are able to access and benefit from the system.
The project demonstrates a flexible and scalable model for energy access in remote settings. Delivering energy as a service through shared infrastructure and household systems helps overcome many of the cost and access barriers associated with traditional grid extension.
Building on this foundation, strong demand for solar home systems is already driving continued growth through Aasigu Solutions, MMGB’s sales arm. The model is showing strong potential for replication in other communities, particularly through partnerships with local organisations and community networks.
View the full partnership impact story below or download here.
