In many remote Pacific schools, there’s no power for the things learning now depends on: lights and fans in the classroom, computers and internet, and in some communities, the pumps that bring safe water to the school grounds. As we count down to #COP31, we’re sharing how REnew Pacific is bringing clean, solar energy to schools across the region so students can learn in brighter, better-connected and more resilient classrooms.
In the Marshall Islands, REnew Pacific’s first project in the country is bringing solar power to 19 remote primary schools across Arno, Ebon and Mili Atolls that have no electricity at all. Delivered by UNICEF Australia with UNICEF Pacific, the Ministry of Education, Sports and Training and the Environmental Protection Authority, the cyclone-resilient solar and battery systems will power classrooms, lighting, digital learning and water and sanitation facilities. More than 700 children and 90 teachers will benefit directly, with schools doubling as safe community shelters during emergencies. Find out more here.
In Vanuatu, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in partnership with the National Green Energy Fund (NGEF), is powering 20 schools up across Malampa, Tafea and Sanma with standalone solar and battery systems, giving students reliable power for lighting, learning and digital tools where diesel was once the only option. Part of a wider REnew Pacific project that also powers health centres and solar water systems for remote communities, it trains local people to run and maintain the systems, keeping classrooms powered for the long term. This week’s countdown film comes to you from the GGGI team on the ground. Find out more here.
In Papua New Guinea, the Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF) is installing a solar mini-grid at the Mt Koiari FODE Centre in Efogi, the first secondary school of its kind along the Kokoda Track. Reliable power will run classrooms, tablets and lights for students who previously had no access to secondary schooling. The project builds on KTF’s successful pilot at Kokoda College, where solar now supports around 200 students, many of them women pursuing second-chance education. It also brings clean energy to the Sanananda aid post nearby, strengthening health services for thousands. Find out more here.
In Solomon Islands, Superfly is bringing solar hybrid systems to two remote boarding schools: Goldie College in Western Province and Sir Dudley Tuti College in Isabel Province. For more than 1,200 students, reliable power means extended study hours in the evenings, safer dormitories and better-lit campuses, replacing costly diesel generators that could only run part of the time. The REnew Pacific project also powers the Atoifi Adventist Hospital nearby, which trains over half the country’s nurses. Find out more here.
In Fiji, It’s Time Foundation is proving it’s time for the country’s remote schools to switch on. Working with the Ministry of Education, it’s delivering round-the-clock solar power to more than 30 remote and maritime schools. New computer labs and Starlink internet are connecting students to digital learning for the first time, while savings of more than $150,000 a year in diesel costs are going straight back into school budgets. At Nuku Secondary School, one of the first to go live, students who once travelled to the mainland just to reach the internet now study with laptops and connectivity on site. The project is also training Fijian women in solar installation and electrical trades, building local skills to keep the systems running for years. Find out more here.
These projects are helping students across the region learn in brighter, better-connected classrooms. All are part of the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million initiative for climate infrastructure in the region, delivered by the Australian Government’s Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) and implemented by Palladium.
Join us each week as we share a new story to count down to COP31. Thanks to the GGGI Vanuatu team for counting us down this week!
