In Papua New Guinea, the larger population lacks access to grid-connected electricity, facing major daily challenges.
Unreliable power supplies affecting delivery of critical services have become the norm, with communities in the provinces suffering the most.
The United Nations Development Programme, under the EU-STREIT programme, recently visited several public institutions in Vanimo, Sandaun Province, with the aim to notify and seek consent for the installation of solar photovoltaic systems (Solar PVs).
Three public institutions in the Vanimo-Green District were selected for solar PV system installations: Baro Community Health Post, Don Bosco Secondary School and Vanimo Secondary School.
At the two schools selected, the current source of power usually experiences frequent fluctuations due to the low or weak current. As a result, electronic devices and equipment are damaged, in the long-term, hindering the quality of teaching and learning.
At Don Bosco Secondary School, in Vanimo, the principal, Frank Banak, said the facility is a technical school as well as a high school, with many classes requiring the use of high-powered tools and machinery.
“Installing solar power here at the school would be a great advantage and will greatly alleviate these power issues that we have had to deal with repeatedly,” he stated.
Officer-in-charge of Baro Community Health Post, Mark Bandi, thanked UNDP and the STREIT project, saying, “Once the solar is installed, it will help us a lot, in terms of supporting the hospital in its daily functions, and essentially providing the best possible service for the community.”