{"id":16407,"date":"2017-11-03T04:59:45","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T18:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=16407"},"modified":"2017-11-03T04:59:45","modified_gmt":"2017-11-02T18:29:45","slug":"cook-islands-solar-mb0286","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/","title":{"rendered":"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_16408\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16408\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16408\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg\" alt=\"Solar power and energy storage in the Cook Islands\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16408\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: Asia Development Bank<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->The Cook Islands, situated halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, is comprised of 15 islands scattered over a huge area of the South Pacific &#8211; around two million square kilometres. Most of the Cook Island&#8217;s 17,800 permanent residents live on the largest island, Rarotonga, which also attracts more than 100,000 tourists a year.<\/p>\n<p>The nation&#8217;s electricity supply used to be almost exclusively sourced from diesel-based generation, with the fuel shipped from New Zealand. According to the Asian Development Bank, diesel cost the Islands <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adb.org\/projects\/46453-002\/main#project-pds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NZ$34.6 million in 2012<\/a> &#8211; representing 25% of total imports value and 9% of gross domestic product.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mfem.gov.ck\/images\/MFEM_Documents\/DCD_Docs\/Renewable_Energy\/Cook_Islands_Renewable_Electricity_Chart_-_Final_April_2012.pdf\">27% of diesel<\/a> imported was being used for electricity generation.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, electricity comprised <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mfem.gov.ck\/images\/MFEM_Documents\/DCD_Docs\/Renewable_Energy\/Cook_Islands_Renewable_Electricity_Chart_-_Final_April_2012.pdf\"> 25 percent of total household expenditure<\/a> and for businesses, up to 30 to 40 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project, co-financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Union and the Government of Cook Islands, was established in October 2014 to reduce reliance on fossil fuels through the use of solar power.<\/p>\n<p>All the northern atolls had solar power systems installed by the end of 2015 and work is continuing on installations in the Southern Cook Islands, which will see construction of up to five more solar plants. The next plant to be built will be on the island of Aitutaki.<\/p>\n<p>GCF&#8217;s funding will go towards installation of 3MW\/12MWh of battery storage that will enable the addition of 6 MW of solar capacity to be added to <span lang=\"EN-GB\">Rarotonga&#8217;s<\/span> grid.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe project aims to increase energy security in the Cook Islands in an environmentally sustainable manner, while increasing the share of renewable energy in the country\u2019s energy mix without negatively affecting the grid,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adb.org\/news\/gcf-provides-additional-funding-adb-cofinanced-solar-project-cook-islands\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> said<\/a> ADB Pacific Department Energy Specialist Woo Yul Lee.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenclimate.fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Green Climate Fund<\/a> was established within the framework of the UNFCCC to support the efforts of developing countries in responding to the challenges of climate change. In 2016, Australia was re-elected unanimously to lead the GCF this year. The Australian Government committed AUD $200 million to the Green Climate Fund over 2015-18.<\/p>\n<p>Another large-scale battery storage system is soon to be constructed on the island of<span lang=\"EN-GB\"> Rarotonga. The 5.6 MWh system also has an Australian link &#8211; it will be installed by New South Wales based MPower, who we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-northern-gas-pipeline-mb0265\/\">mentioned last week<\/a> in connection with a couple of other projects. The energy storage project will support the 1MW Te Mana Ra solar PV facility at Rarotonga International Airport, which has been operating since 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":16408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-battery-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-11-02T18:29:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"394\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Bloch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\"},\"headline\":\"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-02T18:29:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":443,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/cook-islands-solar.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Solar &amp; Storage News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/\",\"name\":\"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/cook-islands-solar.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-02T18:29:45+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/cook-islands-solar.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/cook-islands-solar.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":394,\"caption\":\"Image: Asia Development Bank\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"General Solar &amp; Storage News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/solar-battery-news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SolarQuotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/solarquotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/au.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/solarquotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\",\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Michael Bloch\"},\"description\":\"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/michael\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project","description":"The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project","og_description":"The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2017-11-02T18:29:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":394,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Bloch","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Bloch","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1"},"headline":"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project","datePublished":"2017-11-02T18:29:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/"},"wordCount":443,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg","articleSection":["General Solar &amp; Storage News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/","name":"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg","datePublished":"2017-11-02T18:29:45+00:00","description":"The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is kicking in $12 million as a grant to help finance part of the Cook Islands Renewable Energy Sector Project.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg","width":700,"height":394,"caption":"Image: Asia Development Bank"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cook-islands-solar-mb0286\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"More Funding For Cook Islands Renewable Energy Project"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1","name":"Michael Bloch","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Michael Bloch"},"description":"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cook-islands-solar.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-4gD","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2065,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/tokelau-throws-switch-to-100-percent-solar-in-australias-backyard\/","url_meta":{"origin":16407,"position":0},"title":"Tokelau throws switch to 100 percent solar in Australia\u2019s backyard","author":"Staff Writer","date":"November 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar energy in the Pacific took a giant leap forward this week when New Zealand-controlled territory Tokelau completed the switch from diesel to solar as its main fuel source. Tokelau is now nearly 100 percent reliant on the sun for its power needs and its model is showing the way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Big Solar&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Big Solar","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/utility-scale-solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"tokelau","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/100pc-tokelau.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12642,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cayman-islands-solar-mb0091\/","url_meta":{"origin":16407,"position":1},"title":"Cayman Islands&#8217; First Solar Farm Operational","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"June 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"While it may not be huge project by some standards, the official commissioning of the first solar farm in the Cayman Islands has been called a historic event. Earlier this week, the 5MW Bodden Town Solar Farm was symbolically switched on (it had been operating for a few weeks) by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar Power in the Cayman Islands","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/cayman-islands-solar.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/cayman-islands-solar.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/cayman-islands-solar.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/cayman-islands-solar.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34805,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/tuvalu-solar-grant-mb1284\/","url_meta":{"origin":16407,"position":2},"title":"Tuvalu Scores USD $6 Million Grant For Solar Power And Storage\u00a0","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"November 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is giving the tiny island nation of Tuvalu a big chunk of change to install more solar energy and battery systems. Tuvalu is located in the Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. Its habitable areas consist of four reef islands and five coral\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar energy in Tuvalu","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/tuvalu-solar-energy.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/tuvalu-solar-energy.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/tuvalu-solar-energy.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/tuvalu-solar-energy.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/tuvalu-solar-energy.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40215,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-tonga-australia-mb1545\/","url_meta":{"origin":16407,"position":3},"title":"More Australian Support For Solar Power In Tonga","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"June 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Australian Government has kicked in another $2.9 million for new renewable energy infrastructure in the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga. The kingdom of Tonga, home to around 103,000 people, consists of more than 170 islands and is situated approximately 3,200 kilometres from the closest point in Australia. Like many island\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar energy in Tonga - Australian support","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/australia-tonga-solar.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/australia-tonga-solar.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/australia-tonga-solar.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/australia-tonga-solar.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/australia-tonga-solar.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69051,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/palau-solar-battery-mb2760\/","url_meta":{"origin":16407,"position":4},"title":"AU Backed Palau Solar + Battery Project Progresses","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"December 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It shouldn't be too long before the people of Palau benefit from a big injection of renewable energy into their electricity system; thanks in part to Australia. Where The Heck Is Palau? Palau is an archipelago consisting of hundreds of islands situated in the Micronesia region in the western Pacific\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Palau solar and battery storage project","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palau-solar-battery.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palau-solar-battery.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palau-solar-battery.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palau-solar-battery.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palau-solar-battery.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2383,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/pacific-energy-summit-hears-calls-for-better-funding-for-renewable-projects\/","url_meta":{"origin":16407,"position":5},"title":"Pacific Energy Summit hears calls for better funding for renewable projects","author":"Staff Writer","date":"April 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It may have received scant attention in the Australian mainstream, whose attention may have been distracted by aborted leadership coups, football kickoffs et al, but a very important energy summit (including the latest in Pacific solar energy projects) took place in Auckland, New Zealand last week. Eighteen Pacific nations attended\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Policy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Policy","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"pacific energy summit logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/pacificenergysummit.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16407"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16411,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16407\/revisions\/16411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}