Tuvalu, with a population of 12,000 and situated halfway between Hawaii and Australia, is one of the nations directly threatened by sea level rise due to global warming,
The country recently set a national goal of being powered entirely by renewable energy sources by 2020. It’s already made a start – Tuvalu’s first grid-connected, 40 kilowatt solar panel based solar power system was installed last year on the roof of the country’s largest football stadium and supplies 5 percent of the electricity needed by the nation’s capital, Funafuti.
In its first 14 months, the solar farm’s operation has reduced Tuvalu’s consumption of generator fuel, usually shipped from New Zealand, by about 17,000 litres. The solar farm has also reduced Tuvalu’s carbon footprint approximately 50 tonnes.
The solar farm isn’t just a clean source of renewable energy – government officials and the e8, who donated and installed the system, hope it helps inspire other nations later this year in negotiations of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol agreement on climate change.
The e8 is composed of 10 leading electricity companies from G8 countries. The e8’s mission is to to promote sustainable energy development through electricity sector projects and human capacity building activities in developing and emerging nations worldwide.
100% renewable energy isn’t a pipe dream for the nation; all it will take is an investment estimated at just over $20 million, according to the Tuvalu government. The nation may receive some further international help after G8 countries last week committed to help finance efforts by poorer nations to battle climate change.
Regardless of the country’s solar efforts, if a similar approach isn’t taken by other nations then Tuvalu’s renewable energy aspirations may be in vain.
The island has a a maximum elevation of just 4.5 meters and most of its land less than a meter above sea level. Tuvalu is already experiencing flooding linked to climate change and there are fears the 3,000 year old nation may become totally engulfed by the ocean in the not too distant future.
