SUSTAINABILITY

Left: Staff inspect a photovoltaic power generation facility
in the Cook Islands. Solar power is an efficient way togenerate electricity for the countries of Oceania locatednear the equator.
Bottom: Fiji installed a retractable wind power generation
system similar to the one on Okinawa’s Hateruma Island.

JAPAN AND THE PACIFIC:GENERATING SECURE AND

SUSTAINABLE
ENERGYSOLUTIONSJAPANThe shift to renewable energy in the Pacific island countries has progressed, withthe support of Japan, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and secure astable supply of energy.
PALAU

With climate change posing
a huge threat to sustainable
development worldwide, countries
around the globe are now
advancingefforts
towards
decarbonization through theintroduction of renewable energy.
However, various challenges are
faced in its adoption. The Pacificisland countries have long relied
on diesel generation, which incurs
high fuel transportation costs andcauses a substantial environmental
impact. Although those countries
have also been striving tointroduce renewable energy, they

have been unable to stabilize theamount of power generated given
its vulnerability to the effectsof fluctuating seasonality andweather conditions.
In 2017, the Japan International
Cooperation Agency ( JICA)
launched the Project for
Introduction of Hybrid Power
Generation System in the
Pacific Island Countries tofind solutions to this region’s
problems. The project aims toreduce emissions and secure astable supply of electricity byintroducing renewable energy

FEDERATEDSTATESOF MICRONESIA

PAPUA
NEW
GUINEAMARSHALL ISLANDSNAURUKIRIBATISOLOMON
ISLANDSTUVALUVANUATU

SAMOA
FIJI

NIUE

COOK
ISLANDSTONGAsystems matching the climateand environment of each area,
while operating existing diesel
generators efficiently and at theminimum level necessary. Theproject is part of the Hybrid
Islands Initiative proposed by
Japan at the 7th Pacific Islands
Leaders Meeting (PALM7)
held in 2015, and was initiatedwith the participation of Fiji,
Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Federated
States of Micronesia (FSM),
and the Marshall Islands. “Weplace the highest importanceon the capacity developmentof local personnel, enablingthem to design plans themselves
and advance the project while
verifying its appropriateness,” says
OGAWA Tadayuki, JICA Senior
Advisor and the project’s chiefadvisor. “The situations of eachcountry, along with the issues theyface, are diverse. The project has
progressed from the perspectiveof those local personnel who best
understand the circumstances.”
The project utilizes thetechnology
andexpertisecultivated in Japan’s Okinawa
Prefecture, which is made up ofnearly 160 islands situated in a
subtropical climate zone. The
shift to renewable energy on theislands has been advanced using
the surplus solar energy generated
during the daytime to power heatpump water heaters, as well as
groundwater pumping systems.
Okinawa has also adapted a wind
power generation system thatallows the wind turbine to befolded to the ground to prevent it

JICA’s OGAWA Tadayuki (far right) holds a training
session for government officials and electric power
corporation staff. The focus is placed on not onlyclassroom study, but hands-on training as well.

from collapsing or being damagedby typhoons. By combining thissystem with motor generatorsand storage batteries, Okinawa’s
Hateruma Island succeeded
in meeting its entire power
demand through wind-generated
electricity alone for about 10 days
last year.
The Pacific island countries
project shares Okinawa’s efforts
and knowledge through lecturesand hands-on instruction. At thesame time, the project provides
support for the planning of hybrid
power generation systems tailoredto each country’s particularpower facility situation andenvironment. As both the proper
maintenance and operation of
the power facilities significantly
affect their efficiency, the projectemphasizes on-site and online
guidance in that area. Accordingto Ogawa, “After participating instudy tours in Okinawa and seeing
how carefully the equipment wasmaintained, many said that theywanted to learn how to carry out
the same careful maintenance.”
The Marshall Islands reduced
its annual consumption ofdiesel fuel in 2020 by 360,000
liters compared to that of 2016,
through such improvements
in maintenance. A plan is also
underway to establish a regional
training center—located within
an existing training facility inFiji—for people across the Pacificto study, helping them overcome
the shortage of engineers who canoperate and manage the systems.
“Securing a stable supply ofsustainable energy is a prolonged
and daunting challenge. That’s

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, online training wasconducted in the technologies necessary for the management
and operation of power generation facilities with thecooperation of companies that had introduced hybrid power
generation systems in Okinawa.

why we want to support thepeople of the Pacific islands inbuilding a fully sustainable energy
system that they can maintain bythemselves. We also would liketo learn creative new approaches
from their initiatives, building a
win-win relationship,” says Ogawa.
“The share of power generated
from renewable energy sources isalready increasing in some otherisland nations, such as Tuvalu andFSM. In Samoa, at the request of
the government, JICA has started
to provide technological support
for the efforts towards realizing
100% renewable energy. Goingforward, we would like to focus
on such initiatives as well.”
At PALM9, held online inJuly 2021, Japan and the otherparticipating nations announced
a policy of promoting technology
and innovation to further reducegreenhouse gases. As part of a joint
action plan, Japan has pledged
to help achieve a stable andlow-carbon supply of power by
providing technical cooperation,building
renewableenergyfacilities, and developing energyefficient power grids, among otheractivities. As partners forging thepath to sustainable growth, Japanand the Pacific island countries
will continue to take on challenges
together.
Photos courtesy of JICA