Masdar Special Projects team has announced installation of small-scale solar power projects in Pacific island countries.
Five small-scale solar power projects have been commissioned in countries across the Pacific region. The projects have been implemented under the $50 million UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund (UAE-PPF).
The projects were installed across Solomon Islands, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. Each project has been customised and designed according to the economic and sustainability requirement of the country. The projects are expected to help each country reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
These projects represent the second cycle installations under the UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund. The projects, with combined generation capacity of 3.1 MW, are expected to offset more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and save 1.7 million litres of diesel fuel every year.
The first cycle of the fund saw Masdar complete small-scale solar and wind projects in Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Highlights from the projects included cyclone-proof wind turbines, space-optimising solar solutions, and plants providing 50% of local energy requirements.
The UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund was launched in response to the identification of renewable energy as a key growth enabler at the January 2012 Pacific Leaders’ Meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Masdar was appointed to design and implement the projects by working closely with partners in the UAE and the host nation.
