Researchers
Dr Shukla Poddar, Engineering, UNSW
Dr Abhnil Prasad, Engineering, UNSW
Associate Professor Merlinde Kay, Engineering, UNSW
Funding
This project was part of the Australian Human Rights Institute’s 2024 joint seed funding round with UNSW Engineering, receiving $20,000.
Summary
One of the key objectives of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is achieving universal access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy services by 2030 globally. However, despite the global efforts, to date many small villages across French Polynesia and Fiji (Tavueni, Kadavu), lack access to electricity that significantly impacts the lives of the residents.
The residents of these villages are deprived of the basic living conditions – like access to clean drinking water, lighting and heating/cooling systems in their house, food storage and refrigeration, access to internet and communication networks. As a result, these communities confront numerous challenges and limitations that hinder their overall well-being and socioeconomic development. Providing access to affordable energy in these underserved communities is therefore not only a matter of sustainability but also a humanitarian imperative.
This project's outcomes will demonstrate solar and wind hybrid potential sites over French Polynesia and Fiji Islands, and provide policymakers and stakeholders with an understanding of risks, threats, and vulnerabilities associated with planning for future solarwind hybrid farms. The project will also assist in rural electrification, developing a climate resilient grid and increasing job opportunities for the local communities.
The project has the following aims:
- Assess scope of hybrid renewable energy technology – solar and wind for Fiji and French Polynesia for historical and future periods considering climate change scenarios
- Understand the energy demand profiles, variability in the resources and complementarity of wind and solar
- Provide techno-economic PV system design and wind turbine sitting for the regions based on the projected future climate.