New Zealand supports solar energy development in the Pacific
The Cook Islands now aspire to join the exclusive circle of countries approaching 100% solar energy for their production, through a program funded by New Zealand and inaugurated Wednesday, May 13, 2015.
Murray McCully, New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, was earlier this week in this Polynesian archipelago to proceed, with Prime Minister of Cook, Henry Puna, at the official inauguration of the project up to approximately US $ 15 million , on the islands of Manihiki and Penrhyn. On these two sites, respectively 672 and 1,134 solar panels were installed to power about 230 homes and public buildings.
At Penrhyn, the 672 panels are expected to generate aggregate nominal outputs approaching 150 Kilowatts.
In Manihiki, the design capacity for 1134 is expected to exceed panels 280 kilowatts.
Tokelau, New Zealand dependency, is a global pioneer in solar energy
Similar projects have been completed these past years in the communities of the islands and atolls of Rakahanga, Pukapuka, Nassau and Palmerston.
In November 2012, already, the little archipelago of Tokelau, New Zealand dependency, announced loudly becoming a global pioneer in solar energy, with nearly 100% of energy from this renewable source; through the implementation of a project funded by Wellington.
As part of a regional project launched in 2013 during the energy summit in the Pacific, Wellington announced a major project to support the installation of renewable energy resources , focusing on solar, in no less than seven island countries in the region, for a total of 100 million NZ$.
If the fundamental reasons for the NZ are more geopolitical than environmental, they nevertheless allow these island states to effectively move toward energy independence.
