Powering Solomon Islands’ Vavanga community with affordable renewable energy
36%
64%
Partner contribution
$ 138,600
DFAT contribution
$ 250,000
Total Value
$ 388,600
Start: June 2024 - End: June 2025
Australian Government
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade works with international partners and other countries to tackle global challenges, increase trade and investment opportunities, protect international rules, keep our region stable and help Australians overseas.
Pelena Energy
Pelena Energy is an Australian company that partners with rural stakeholders to develop sustainable renewable energy products and integrated services.
A partnership to power Solomon Island’s Vavanga community with affordable renewable energy
Context
The Vavanga community in Solomon Islands has successfully managed a micro-hydroelectric system since 1993. However, the village wiring, installed in 1993 to serve only a few houses, has a very low power capacity. This wiring was primarily designed to run lights, limiting opportunities for local income generation and business entrepreneurship.
About the initiative
The Australian Government is partnering with Pelena to address this, combining community-owned micro-hydro generation with a robust electrical reticulation system, enabling income generation opportunities that benefit the whole community. It aims to power all 116 households with access to affordable, reliable energy, while creating new opportunities for the community’s economic development.
Pelena will be collaborating closely with the local community throughout the partnership, including the Vavanga Community Hydro Committee and the PAVAPO (Paratovogho, Vavanga and Poubuna) Women’s Group, building on a close association with the community since 1998.
Key contributions from partners
- Pelena will design, implement and manage the partnership and be its ongoing support provider.
- The Australian Government will contribute catalytic funding. It will also connect partners to networks, provide support through the BPP in gender and disability inclusion, business models, safeguards and impact measurement, as well as support with communications to enable national and global recognition.
Hear from our partner
Peter Lynch, Founder and MD of Pelena Energy
“This partnership brings real electrical power to the people in the form of kilowatts, not just watts. This will allow agricultural value-adding to allow greater access by the community to development opportunities in their rural village. I am particularly excited because this business partnership will commercially demonstrate that the rural people of Solomon Islands, and indeed Melanesia, have capacity when they are given the tools to develop themselves. Utilising their own run-of-river micro-hydro system, they will have independent access to their own 24/7 electrical supply without the need for batteries.” Peter Lynch, Founder and MD of Pelena Energy
This partnership was selected through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) Call for Partnerships to Support Off-Grid Renewable Energy in the Pacific and Timor-Leste.