Canberra-headquartered REnew Pacific, in partnership with Queensland-headquartered disaster relief organisation Respond Global are transporting and installing 20 new off-grid solar power systems to healthcare centres in Vanuatu, to enable reliable 24/7 electricity in some of the island nation’s most remote communities.
Made possible through $3.3 million (USD 2.1 million) in funding, the project will take one year to complete and support up to 80,000 people living in remote communities in the island nation.
Also supported by the Vanuatu National Green Energy Fund (NGEF), the rooftop solar installations will improve local healthcare delivery, including night-time emergencies and maternity care, and supply essential medical equipment and cold chain refrigeration, critical for vaccine storage and improving health prevention.
Image: REnew Pacific
A statement from Renew Pacific said the first delivery of solar panels and equipment by Respond Global’s HELPR-1 vessel to Loh Island in Vanuatu’s remote Torba province will benefit the Loh Health Centre and the 2,000 people it serves.
“The project will also support local schools and community buildings by repairing and upgrading solar infrastructure, safely removing e-waste, and building local skills through partnerships with the Vanuatu Institute of Technology,” the statement says.
Diesel generators are the primary power source for many healthcare institutions located across the 1,609 kilometres of Vanuatu’s 63 inhabited islands.
HELPR-1 is a specially converted 32-metre vessel able to accommodate up to 52 people for up to three weeks at a time without resupply and is positioned to respond within hours to any emergency or disaster in the Vanuatu and nearby Pacific countries.
Image: REnew Pacific
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