Techno-Economic Feasibility of Grid Connected Systems in the Pacific Island Countries
Abstract
The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) constantly grapple with the extreme dependence on imported fossil fuels for electricity generation even when more than 70% of the regional population is not connected to any source of electricity. The petroleum dependence is reflected in the Oil Price Vulnerability Index (OPVI) developed by the UNDP that depends on a number of local factors such as petroleum intensity and economic strength (Balchandra and Mongia, 2007). A 2009 ADB study of 39 developing countries showed that all PICs are among the most vulnerable countries with seven among the top ten (ADB,2009). The petroleum intensity (ratio of petroleum products consumption compared to total primary energy consumption) for Kiribati and Vanuatu is 100% with others not very far behind (PNG and Fiji are close to 75%). Table 1 shows the OPVI ranks for some of the PICs.