Anyone who has grown up in a cyclone-prone community remembers the moments in the lead-up to a climate disaster. The frantic hours spent listening for radio updates or refreshing weather-watch pages on Facebook, the pumping of water into tanks, buckets and pots in anticipation of a contaminated or disrupted water supply, and for those most at risk, the journey to evacuation centers with bedding, clothes and candles to wait out the worst of the storm. They also remember the moments in the wake of a disaster and how critical that initial response period is. Contacting loved ones to account for everyone, more radio/online updates on the cyclone path, any downed electricity poles and live wires, road closures and evacuation center statuses. In all of these moments, energy access is crucial, especially for the people coordinating disaster preparedness and recovery, and ensuring our communities are safe and informed.
Josaia Tokoni, the Program Manager of the Fiji Council of Social Services, is one of those people. Last week he joined thirteen other participants for the Solar Scholars training in Fiji. Community leaders from Fiji, Tuvalu and Vanuatu learnt firsthand what it takes to assemble and install basic solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, and the ripple effects that these have in disaster risk reduction, education, economic stability and more. 350.org Pacific and the Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) collaborated to bring this training to life, equipping everyday people with the skills needed to ensure energy sovereignty in their communities.
The training was conducted by the RE-Charge Pilipinas Team of ICSC and survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, who pioneered a simple solar PV system that powered emergency services in cyclone-prone island communities. These off-grid energy systems became a lifeline for many in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, and have spread across the Philippines as a source of emergency energy and a driver for economic and social improvement. Across the Pacific and in the Philippines, communities on the frontlines of the worsening climate conditions also have to face the impacts of their countries’ dependence on imported fossil fuels. It is a shared dream of a future free from fossil fuels and compounding disasters, a dream powered by solidarity across oceans, that brought the Solar Scholars training to Fiji.
While all of the Solar Scholars participants had dreams of a similar future, many of them entered the training with minimal technical knowledge, and a more than a little bit of apprehension.
“I was surprised at how the training made sense, even for those of us less “technical” people. We’re much more confident in the safety requirements, components and basic maintenance of the solar PV system we installed in our office,” said Josaia.
“[Fiji Council of Social Services] are a major coordination hub for disaster response work, but during power outages, we have to go to government offices and charge our emergency communications appliances because they have a diesel generator. This solar PV system is going to give us energy independence to carry out our disaster response work, even in a power outage,” he said.
What separates the Solar Scholars from a mere solar panel donation or a contractor installation is the realisation of community potential. Of everyday people, with tools in hand and safety requirements front of mind, supporting each other on a hot roof under the Pacific sun. It is knowing that these skills stay with them long after the sun sets, and will one day be taught to someone else as the possibilities of replication and scale unfold.
Throughout the four days of assembly and installation, participants familiarised themselves with the tools, materials and safety processes necessary to build and install a basic solar PV system. But they also learnt to harness and pay forward the social impact that energy sovereignty offers communities on the frontlines of an intersecting climate and affordability crisis. According to 350.org Pacific Organizer, George Nacewa, the aim of the training was not only to illuminate homes but to empower communities.
“We want to build a world beyond fossil fuels and build solutions to the current energy crisis. This training is the stone we cast into the ocean, with hopes that the ripples reach our communities and those that need it most,” said George.
“One of the dreams we’ve always had is, how can we bring energy sovereignty to our communities? How can we empower communities, so they can see something that is built by the hands of everyday people, by the hands of their own people? When we talk about renewable energy, we often think only of technical experts and the degrees or qualifications needed. But today we are ordinary people learning how to assemble, install and sustain a solar energy system,” he said.
While the Pacific continues to face intensifying climate disasters and shorter recovery periods between them, the urgency is heightened by cost. Pacific communities are navigating an affordability crisis alongside the climate crisis. Increased fuel prices are impacting fisherfolk, market vendors, students and household electricity bills. The Solar Scholars training sought to provide a tangible solution to a practical need, to keep money in the pockets of Pacific families.
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In addition to the solar PV system installed in the Western Office for the Fiji Council of Social Services, the Solar Scholars also worked on a second system that would be installed at the Yavulo Kindergarten in Sigatoka. The Yavulo Kindergarten is the main Early Childhood Education center for both Yavulo village and surrounding settlements, operating on minimal funding. This solar PV system would allow them to save much-needed money on electricity bills and also serve as a space for renewable energy education and awareness, with the solar PV system as a visual guide. It is crucial that we harness both the technical and social potential of solar energy, because putting power back in the hands of everyday people is the first step to an energy transition that leaves no one behind. Kalaveti Nasamila, Yavulo Kindergarten Manager, entered the Solar Scholars training with no prior experience, but emerged with both the skills and the commitment to see their new solar PV system benefit the children of the village and surrounding areas.
“I am so grateful to have come to this workshop and learnt how to make this solar [PV] system. I’m especially happy for the kids from our village who will use this in their kindergarten. It feels so good to see what we have done, actually work,” said Kalaveti.
“I was on the roof to install the solar panels and I will be the one to come and dismantle it if we need to take them off. I will also make sure to clean them regularly, to take care of the work we did here today,” he said.
The impact of the Solar Scholars training will not be limited to Fiji, with two more installations planned by participants from Vanuatu and Tuvalu. It is important to note that the Solar Scholars training does not exist in isolation. It lends itself to the larger story of Pacific-led and shaped global climate leadership. Vanuatu spearheaded the landmark legal campaign at the International Court of Justice, resulting in a historic advisory opinion clarifying states’ legal obligations to avoid climate harm. Tuvalu will chair next year’s Second Conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. These are climate-impacted nations using every lever available to make a difference. From courtrooms, international conferences, and now to community halls and kindergarten rooftops. Solar Scholars from both countries return home with not just technical skills but with a mandate. Their installations are the physical proof of the very things their governments are arguing for at the international level.
Pacific countries did not cause the climate crisis. We are, however, building the pathways to survive and solve it. From legal campaigns that set international precedent, to community leaders learning to install and maintain solar panels themselves. The stone has been cast, and the next cohorts of Solar Scholars in Vanuatu and Tuvalu will carry those ripples further across our ocean. The journey from the Philippines to Fiji and onwards has grown into a necessary regional infrastructure of wisdom where, rooftop by rooftop, island by island, we are building a system that serves us instead of the profit margins of the fossil fuel industry. A Pacific beyond fossil fuels isn’t just possible; it is ours to build.
