At a packed Australian Pavilion in Antalya, REnew Pacific’s COP31 side event, Keeping the lights on, brought together practitioners and partners to explore what it really takes to sustain off-grid renewable energy in the Pacific’s most remote communities.
Getting solar and battery systems to remote islands is hard enough. The real challenge is keeping them running for years, in places far from the grid, spare parts and technicians. The panel dug into what makes that possible: financing that lasts, systems designed for tough conditions, and local people trained and resourced to run and maintain them, while making sure projects are safe and reach everyone, including women, children and people with disabilities.
Speakers shared what this looks like on the ground, from powering hospitals, schools and water systems, to building the local businesses and skills that keep the energy flowing long after a project ends. A recurring theme was ownership: the systems that last are the ones communities and local institutions run themselves, backed by government planning and maintenance.
The session was opened by Australia’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Mr Will Nankervis, and featured Mohammed Angawi (REnew Pacific), Lindah Keremoi-Elton (REnew Pacific), Chris Fruean (Electric Power Corporation, Samoa) and Elke Puritau (Save the Children Australia). Matthew Tasale, Director of the Department of Energy at Vanuatu’s Ministry of Climate Change, closed the session with a powerful reminder of Pacific leadership in this work, that the region is not waiting for others to act, but shaping solutions that fit its own communities.
Missed it? Watch the session below:
REnew Pacific is Australia’s AUD75 million investment in off-grid renewable energy across the Pacific and Timor-Leste, delivered by the Australian Government’s Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) and implemented by Palladium.
