Scaling a sustainable solar model for Fiji’s remote schools
Funding round: Round one
Country: Fiji
Sector: Education
This project will deliver reliable 24-hour clean energy to 13 remote schools and their teachers’ homes across Vanua Levu, Viti Levu, Taveuni and the Yasawa Islands through the installation of high-quality off-grid solar systems with battery storage.
Each school will also receive Starlink internet, laptops and smart TVs, helping bridge the digital divide between remote island schools and those on the mainland.
Led by It’s Time Foundation in partnership with Fiji’s Ministry of Education, the project extends the foundation’s first REnew Pacific project to nine new schools and upgrades four existing systems. All 13 schools will join The Solar Fund (Fiji), the maintenance model established under the first project, so systems keep delivering reliable power long into the future.
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
DFAT contribution
$1,064,400
$1,064,400
Partner contribution
$2,064,400
$2,064,400
Total funding
Partner
Its Time Foundation delivers renewable power solutions for remote Pacific Island schools, transforming education outcomes and reducing carbon emissions.
The Ministry of Education, Fiji sets the direction for Fiji’s education, ensuring quality curriculum and teaching for Fijian children.
About this project
It’s Time Foundation, in partnership with Fiji’s Ministry of Education and the Australian Government, is expanding its proven model for powering remote schools across Fiji. This project will benefit more than 1,200 students, around 325 teachers and family members living in 80 school homes and an estimated 7,500 people in surrounding villages.
It builds on It’s Time Foundation’s first REnew Pacific project, reaching more than 30 remote schools, and an earlier 2024 pilot Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnership at Buakonikai Primary School on Rabi Island. Six months after its system was switched on, Buakonikai reported improved classroom engagement, expanded digital learning and annual fuel savings of more than AUD 6,000, which are reinvested in education.
This new project will install solar systems at nine new schools, including Nalauwaki Primary on Waya Island, a new school opening in 2027 that will save children a 5 km daily round trip to their nearest school. It will also upgrade four existing systems: Lavena and Bouma schools on Taveuni, which It’s Time Foundation first powered more than a decade ago, and the combined Yasawa High and Naviti District schools, whose system has sat dormant since failing in 2025 without a maintenance plan.
Classrooms, hostels and teachers’ homes will be fully rewired with LED lighting and power outlets. Each school will receive a Starlink terminal, between four and 10 laptops and smart TVs, with freezers for schools with boarding hostels. Savings on generator fuel will help schools buy computers and learning resources and contribute to The Solar Fund (Fiji), which funds ongoing maintenance across each system’s 20 year lifespan.
The project continues It’s Time Foundation’s commitment to women in solar. Following the Pacific’s first all-women solar installation in March 2026, a crew of female students and qualified women technicians will deliver the installation at Waibogi Wainadiro Primary. It’s Time Foundation is also developing a Disabilities Support Catalogue with the Ministry of Education to help schools better support students with disabilities.
Context
In remote Fijian communities, many schools rely on costly petrol and diesel generators they can only afford to run for a few hours a day. Without reliable power, students miss out on the computers, digital resources and internet access that modern education depends on, widening the gap with grid-connected urban schools. It also lowers teachers’ quality of life, making remote postings harder to fill.
Solar power is a proven solution for off-grid schools but systems often fail early without quality equipment and a long-term maintenance plan. It’s Time Foundation’s systems at Lavena and Bouma have delivered power for 14 and 11 years respectively.
It’s great news that REnew Pacific is expanding its impact for remote schools across in Fiji. It’s truly a game changer for these communities.
– Rob Edwards OAM
Founder, It’s Time Foundation