Schools across Fiji are switching on to 24/7 clean solar energy through our REnew Pacific project with It’s Time Foundation and Fiji’s Ministry of Education, supported by the Australian Government.
Now more than halfway complete, the project is not slowing down and is already delivering:
- Reliable, round-the-clock solar power to 26 remote and maritime schools
- New computer labs and Starlink internet, connecting students to digital learning for the first time
- Around $150,000+ in annual fuel savings, with money going straight back into classrooms
- Training for Fijian women in solar installation and electrical trades, building local skills to last a lifetime
What does this look like in real life?
Nuku Secondary School, which serves 121 students in Nuku and surrounding villages, was one of the first schools to switch on power back in March.
Veremo Qalica, Principal at Nuku Secondary School, said that the financial savings from the switch to solar energy is creating opportunities to use that money to invest back into the school. “The cost of fuel, in the past decade, for the running of the school has been so enormous. From term one when we have full supply of electricity up until today, we have started to see that we have saved huge amounts of money. That money can be diverted to other areas of improvement for the school.”
Mereisi Taukena, a teacher at Nuku Secondary College, said that since the installation students no longer need to travel long distances to access internet and educational resources. “Things that they normally do, like they have to do all the way down to Navua to access internet. Now they don’t need to go, we have them here. They don’t need to go down for printing, we have our copier machine functioning very well.”
Nuku Secondary School student, Salome Seruwata, said that since the installation, they can now access laptops and internet whenever they need to. “Before the solar came, we usually borrowed our teachers’ laptops to use for typing up our projects, but right now the laptops are there and there is internet connectivity.”
A new video, released this week, shares updates from staff and students about how reliable power and internet access have changed daily life at the school, from evening study to new digital learning opportunities:
Every system is built to last, supported by the Solar Fund (Fiji) with a dedicated maintenance model to keep the lights on for years to come.
With the final schools to be connected later this year, Australia and its local partners are closing the energy and technology gap for rural students and teachers one solar panel at a time.
🔗 Learn more: https://renewpacific.com.au/project/powering-a-sustainable-solar-energy-model-for-fijis-remote-school-communities/
