Building renewable energy capacity in the Solomon Islands
Client: Asian Development Bank
Location: Tonga / Solomon Islands
Date: February 2024
Providing training and knowledge sharing to facilitate new battery and solar projects in the Pacific
Background
The Solomon Islands (SI) is a country comprising more than 900 islands in the South Pacific. Like many of its Pacific neighbours, the country relies on diesel fuel generators for electricity. The import of diesel fuel is costly, and its environmental impacts are felt greatly by the region, which is under threat from rising sea levels and climate change.
Neighbouring countries such as Tonga have begun transitioning to renewable energy sources that provide greater energy security, are less expensive to run, and are more sustainable. Tonga’s Renewable Energy Project (TREP) involves implementation of solar hybrid systems, mini-grids, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) on several islands.
With similar technology to what was used in Tonga also expected to be rolled out in the Solomon Islands, the learnings from the implementation, operation and maintenance of these systems are a valuable resource for the Solomon Islands workforce to draw on. In this way, knowledge-sharing, and capacity building between the two countries can be mutually beneficial for a successful and sustainable clean energy transition.
Solution
Due to our extensive work in the Pacific and continued support of Tonga’s TREP project, Entura was engaged by our client, Asian Development Bank, to run capacity building training for staff from both Solomon Power and the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification. The training involved bringing workers from across the Solomon Islands’ energy sector to nearby Tonga for knowledge-sharing and skills development to support Solomon Islands' shift to renewable technologies.
Entura facilitated the visitation of staff from Solomon Power and the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification to several key BESS and solar sites on Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu. During the visits, representatives from the local utility shared their knowledge about owning, operating, and maintaining an electricity grid that is integrated with multiple renewable energy sources. The Solomon Islands delegation were given a walkthrough of assets and discussed how multiple forms of energy generation were integrated within the system as well as any learnings uncovered.
Day two of the workshop was a classroom session delivered by Entura. Participants were taught about several key focus areas: operator training, markets and competition, tender documents, skills and resourcing, dispatch, control, and SCADA, grid forming technology and quality control and safety. Entura drew on our deep knowledge across these areas, particularly in a Pacific context, to disseminate easily digestible lessons to people from all areas of the energy sector, including electricians and trades people to senior utility executives.
Services provided
- Training / capacity building
Outcome
The workshop provided important insights and learnings for Solomon Islands energy sector workers as they prepare to implement new sustainable clean energy systems. In addition to learning valuable insights from Tonga’s renewable energy journey, the program provided networking opportunities for the two countries as they move towards a clean energy future, bolstering capacity building and cross-country support.
Entura is proud to facilitate important skills building in the Pacific and continues to support energy development and training across the region.
