Impact Spotlight
US$12,000 cost savings per year for reinvestment in essentials
8,000 Watt solar array to fortify an essential tourism hub
40 tons of C02 offset over 5 years
About
Tourism is the primary source of income in the Solomon Islands, and equipping local communities to support sustainable tourism is key to poverty eradication. At the same time, residents of the Solomon Islands pay some of the highest prices in the world for their power — on the island of Savo, a small tourism center called The Sunset Lodge currently spends over US$12,000 per year on diesel to run its generator, which only powers lighting and ceiling fans.
Savo Island is just two hours from Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, but has a distinct culture, and maintains an indigenous language exclusive to the island’s 5000 inhabitants. Savo is also an active volcano, and sits in the middle of Iron Bottom Sound, a body of water named after the thousands of American and Japanese fighter jets and frigates that were sunk there during World War Two. Even today, Savoans often find remnants of war planes and weapons in the jungle and reefs near their homes.
The Savo Solar Initiative will convert the Sunset Lodge from toxic, noisy diesel generators to a complete solar PV system, increasing this community economic center’s energy independence along with its ability to scale and employ additional community members. The size of the installation will also ensure that community amenities, such as refrigeration used for storing essential items like medicine, will be powered by the solar array and housed in the Sunset Lodge’s cyclone-proof, secure structure.
“The Savo Island Solar Initiative is well thought-out and has massive potential for scalability elsewhere in the Solomon Islands. For communities like this one, sustainable tourism is a path to a better life, and this project ensures that for the people of Savo.”
HF Partnership
Honnold Foundation has partnered with Blue Volt, a social enterprise solar company, to design and install a state of the art, cyclone-proof solar array on Sunset Lodge. The rooftop array is the first of three phases in this project, and Blue Volt and the Savo community have a well-developed plan for maintenance, repair, and scalability moving forward.
In the future, the team will implement a portable battery system, charging batteries on-site for use in surrounding villages. With interest from the Solomon Islands government and a high potential for scalability, the Savo Solar Initiative has the potential to transform the relationship between people and power in the Solomon Islands.
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