Accelerating Energy Independence and the Renewable Energy Transition in the Pacific
Mana Pacific
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Private sector
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#SDGAction54464
Description
Mana Pacific is a Hawaiian sustainable business corporation that develops renewable energy projects in Hawai'i and the 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories. Our mission is to serve and accelerate all SIDS in the Pacific toward their renewable energy goals and energy independence. Our partnership commitments are to: 1) Deploy additional capacity of 120 MW solar PV and 200 MWh battery storage across Pacific SIDS between 2024 and 2030; and 2) Implement workforce development programs with at least 3 cohorts of 20 renewable energy installation, operation, and maintenance trainees in the Pacific by the end of 2026.
As a part of our project development process, Mana Pacific utilizes multiple methods of implementation. As described above, the most essential part of our implementation process is to not just start community engagement early and continue it throughout the life of the project, but to establish an equal partnership with communities as co-designers, developers, and/or owners in the projects. We pride ourselves in being a developer who wants to develop renewable energy projects that go against the traditional development model of prioritizing profit and taking on the least possible risk. Instead, we have and will continue to dedicate our time and resources to strong community partnerships, as well as workforce development and capacity building (described in more detail below).
In addition, Mana Pacific has developed a development methodology to overcome project development barriers in the Pacific - such as high-risk profiles and the lack of economies of scale. To speed the funding and delivery of renewable energy projects in the Pacific Islands, our process bundles multiple projects across numerous islands into a single project portfolio, which lowers equipment costs and project risk. In addition, it utilizes private financing rather than relying on government funding that can extend project timelines - we treat government grants as additional rather than essential to developing bankable projects. Our development methodology solution is officially certified by the Global Solar Impulse Foundation™as a scalable, efficient, and profitable approach to significantly impact the environment. Ultimately, the goal of this development methodology is to accelerate the funding and successful delivery of renewable energy projects in the Pacific Islands.
Mana Pacific is committed to contributing to capacity building by integrating workforce development into our project development process. We believe this is crucial for the growth and sustainability of the renewable energy sector for SIDS in the Pacific. Our first workforce development initiative was during our co-development of community solar in Moloka'i, where two workforce training programs ran throughout 2022-2023 to help prepare a cohort of Moloka’i residents for employment while this project is being constructed in 2024/2025. The training includes hands-on installation work with instruction from two of our partners: the Makaha Learning Center, and ASU LEAPS, which hosts microgrid design and maintenance (including BESS systems) training. Building off this initial experience, we are planning on launching additional workforce development programs with local partners in the Pacific, starting with a pilot program in the Kingdom of Tonga that is expected to launch in 2024. The goal of this program is to help attract and retain skilled workers, as well as build a robust and capable workforce that can support the growth and development of the renewable energy sector. In addition, creating a successful and robust model for capacity building in the Kingdom of Tonga can serve as a model that can scale and service the rest of Polynesia and the Pacific, thus creating a flow of labor that stays within and strengthens the region.
Mana Pacific’s efforts to date on this project include bringing together and engaging regularly with each of the partners that have demonstrated interest and commitment to this project addressing workforce development for renewable energy in the Kingdom of Tonga. In addition, Mana Pacific has spent months consulting other stakeholders, such as local business and trade groups in the Kingdom of Tonga and the Tongan diaspora, capacity-building specialists within nearby governments in the region, and other seasonal workforce programs to draft an achievable and promising plan that serves the genuine needs of the Kingdom of Tonga and its renewable energy plans. In recent months, Mana Pacific has been leading the effort to secure funding for the pilot program and will assist with its 2024 launch in the Kingdom of Tonga with the local assistance of the Tupou Tertiary Institute (TTI) and New Zealand-based training firm, Workforce Ready, which has already completed a successful pilot in New Zealand.
“Mana” throughout the Pacific means the “life force” within all living things. It is rooted in the Hawaiian tradition of ahupua’a or “collective and
equitable prosperity,” which is the core grounding principle that motivates and guides our team at Mana Pacific. As a social impact company, we prioritize doing work that consciously meets local communities' needs - and in doing so, an essential piece of our development approach is to coordinate with community stakeholders at the beginning of the project development process. The mechanisms include formal Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) signings with partner communities, which develop into more formal partnership mechanisms to co-develop projects, such as land lease agreements and collective project proposals to present to utilities. Examples of these mechanisms in action include:
- Being the chosen co-developer for the State of Hawaii’s first 100% community-owned and designed projects which will be on the island of Moloka'i. Mana Pacific has supported the Hoahu Cooperative Moloka'i, which will be the 100% community owner of the project, alongside our co-developer Shake Energy in a community-driven development process since 2020. Both projects were conceived and designed by community members through frequent virtual and in-person workshops, as well as weekly meetings over the last three years. As of January 2024, the projects were just approved by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission and are expected to reach COD in 2025.
- Entering into an official partnership with three Mataqali Tribes in Fiji for community solar projects on Viti Levu in June 2023. The MOU signing ceremony and the executed signatures of these three parties symbolize a collective commitment to diligently work together towards the outlined objectives and mutually support the development of community solar projects on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. This effort will both contribute to the advancement of renewable energy development for the entire country, as well as help unlock the democratizing power of community solar for the Mataqali Rara, Mataqali Nakorolevu, and Mataqali Nabonubonu tribes.
- As of November 2023, working side by side with the Lau Provincial Council beginning with an official MOU signing ceremony, for the Mini-Grids Renewable Solar Electricity Project – Rarama Vou Kei Lau (“A New Dawn for Lau”) across the Lau Group Outer Islands in Fiji.
SDGS & Targets
Goal 7
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
7.1
By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
7.1.1
Proportion of population with access to electricity
7.1.2
Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology
7.2
7.2.1
Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption
7.3
7.3.1
Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDP
7.a
7.a.1
International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems
7.b
By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support
7.b.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
SDG 14 targets covered
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Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
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Action Network
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Timeline
Entity
SDGs
More information
Countries
SIDS regions
- Pacific
Samoa pathway priority area
- Sustained and Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Economic Growth with Decent Work for All
- Climate Change
- Sustainable Energy
Contact Information
Sierra, UN, Energy Policy, and Project Manager