Rural Electrification in Papua New Guinea

Profile

Idau is a mature age student from Papua New Guinea with a background in renewable energy from the University of Technology in Lae. Idau has a passionate desire to assist the development of his country by looking at sustainable energy options. He will be completing a Masters Degree in Energy Studies which will incorporate a sizable field work component conducting case studies in his home country. The government of PNG is providing sponsorship for Idau's project.

Project Description

Papua New Guinea has vast hydro and solar energy resources with significant potential for exploitation. The natural terrain (steep topology) with lack of transport infrastructure and widely spread demand in almost all regions of the country has made provision of centrally-generated grid electricity to the people residing in rural areas very expensive. For this reason, the scope for renewable energy (RE) systems to compete with the national grid or small diesel generators is thought to be economically advantageous. However, the impact of such energy systems in PNG to date has not been very great due to a number of factors.

The present project report will identify the barriers and impediments to the uptake and implementation of RE projects in PNG. The research will also look at the problems in the commercialisation and provision of infrastructure support for such renewable energy systems. The project will be supported by case studies into several RE systems (especially micro hydro) implemented in rural communities in PNG. The experiences and views from local commercial distributors of RE systems and the national utility will be conducted as well.