A framework for technology cooperation for the successful deployment of renewable energy technologies in Pacific Island Countries and Territories

Abstract

Local market conditions should be taken into account for successful technology deployment. The organisational framework should favour the consolidation of technology transfer through the establishment of appropriate mechanisms for capacity retention and private-sector involvement (i.e. public–private partnerships with independent power producers, renewable energy service companies, etc.). Ultimately, local capacity for maintaining and operating the technologies to be transferred is key. Every country or region has different priorities and reasons for desiring an increased deployment of renewable energy technologies: the EU has a focus on climate change mitigation, the US has a focus on energy security, and sub-Saharan African countries generally have the objective of energy access. Small Island Developing States in the Pacific have a clear focus on energy security at the regional level, while many of them also have an unfinished agenda for energy access. Technology transfer and cooperation efforts in the region must address the barriers to the deployment of renewable energy technologies to ensure long-lasting provision of energy access and durable improvement of energy security. Pacific energy ministers endorsed the Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific (FAESP) and its associated implementation plan (IPESP) in April 2011. At the global level, the UN General Assembly has declared 2012 the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All”. This paper analyses the requirements for renewable energy technologies in Pacific Island Countries and Territories, the role of such technologies in the context of the FAESP and IPESP and their possible contribution to increased energy access, and identifies the main barriers to their deployment. Once common barriers have been identified, specific actions to address them will be highlighted in a framework setting out guidelines for policy development and identifying technology transfer needs, barriers to successful technology deployment and funding opportunities.