Solomon Islands is an archipelago located in the Melanesian region of the Pacific, southeast of Papua New Guinea. The country is vulnerable to tropical cyclones, flash floods, sea-level rises, and extreme events related to rising sea-surface temperatures. Marine heat waves will pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems in the region and the livelihoods dependent on them. The country’s vulnerability is exacerbated by the fact that a majority of the population live within 1.5 kilometer (km) of the coastline.
INVESTING IN SOLOMON ISLANDS
CIF’s investment in Soloman Islands is through its Scaling up Renewable Energy Program (SREP). The dispersed nature of the country's islands and populations leads to high transportation costs, small economies, and high electricity costs.
Soloman Islands' $14-million SREP investment plan is aimed at targeting these barriers through a variety of measures, including installing 60 mini-grids in rural villages using hydropower, biofuel, and solar photovoltaic systems. Grid extensions are also being financed to displace fossil fuel generation for an estimated 3,000 households on the islands of Honiara and Auki. The same SREP financing is helping to strengthen power system planning, develop two megawatts of utility scale solar photovoltaic power, and launch a fee-for-service model for household solar systems in rural areas.
